Thuathe Meteorite (broken surface is 2.1 cm across) - the fall of the Thuathe Meteorite in southern Africa was initially misinterpreted by some locals as an outbreak of ghost activity. The fall was accompanied by a loud detonation heard over an area of ~100-km radius. The pre-atmospheric, pre-fragmentation size of Thuathe has been estimated at 35 to 40 cm. Thuathe impacted at 3:47 PM (local time) on 21 July 2002 on the western Thuathe Plateau in northwestern Lesotho, southern Africa. The east-west trending strewn field is about 2 x 7.5 km in size, and occurs in the vicinity of the towns of Baruting, Boqate Ha Majara, Boqate Ha Sofonia, and Ha Thibakhoali.

This sample displays a well-preserved, dark fusion crust. The Thuathe Meteorite has been classified as an H4/5 ordinary chondrite. The “H” refers to a chondrite having a high iron content. The “4/5” refers to the chondrite having been metamorphosed in its history, such that many of its chondrules are not well preserved. Published analysis shows that Thuathe is composed principally of olivine, pyroxene, cryptocrystalline plagioclase feldspar, metallic Fe-Ni, and troilite (FeS). Isotopic dating shows that Thuathe is 4.4 billion years old and was ejected from its parent body in the asteroid belt ~5 million years ago.