Mbale - L5 Ordinary Chondrite

Mbale is a witnessed L5/6 Ordinary Chondrite fall from Uganda, which occurred on 14 August 1992. The meteorite entered the atmosphere over the Mbale region, broke apart, and produced a strewn field measuring roughly 3 by 7 kilometers. A later expedition gathered eyewitness accounts and located 48 impact positions, with recovered masses ranging from tiny fragments to a 27.4 kg stone. Mbale is one of the best-known African witnessed Chondrite falls and has strong historical and scientific provenance.

Mbale specimens typically show the compact texture of an L5/6 Ordinary Chondrite, with subdued chondrules, scattered metal grains, and a grey to brown stony matrix. As an L Chondrite, it has lower metallic iron than H Chondrites, while the type 5/6 classification indicates significant thermal metamorphism on its parent asteroid. Some specimens retain dark fusion crust, and cut pieces may reveal impact melt veins or brecciated textures.

Studying Mbale provides valuable insight into Ordinary Chondrite parent bodies, atmospheric fragmentation, and the distribution of meteorites across a documented strewn field. Its witnessed fall status, Ugandan provenance, substantial recovered mass, and classic L5/6 classification make it especially desirable for collectors of African meteorites and historic falls. Each specimen represents ancient asteroid material formed over 4.5 billion years ago, connected to a clearly recorded event in 1992.