File:Ordinary chondrite (Viñales Meteorite) 19.jpg

English: Ordinary chondrite (Viñales Meteorite) from the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. (cut slice with some fusion crust; ~4.55 centimeters across at its widest)

Chondrites are the most common type of meteorites that fall to Earth. Chondrite classification is moderately complicated, and considers isotopic, chemical, mineralogical, textural, metamorphic, and weathering factors. Chondrites are derived from bodies in the Asteroid Belt that never underwent differentiation. That is, the parent bodies never experienced a heating event sufficient to produce a core, mantle, and crust.

All chondrites contain spherical to subspherical to somewhat irregularly shaped structures called chondrules. Chondrules are composed principally of the mafic minerals olivine and pyroxene. Chondrules are nearly the oldest materials in the entire solar system. Chondrites subjected to significant thermal metamorphism some time in their history have chondrules that are partially to almost completely recrystallized.

This cut slice is from the Viñales Meteorite, which impacted in western Cuba on 1 February 2019. Over 50 kilograms of rocks have been collected. It is an L6 chondrite, which means that it has "low" iron content and metamorphism has altered most of the chondrules beyond recognition (a non-metamorphosed example would be designated L3). Much of the iron content is present as reflective metallic/elemental iron grains. A magnet sticks to this rock. Other chondrites have much less iron content - they are designated LL chondrites. Some have higher iron content - the H chondrites.

Viñales is notable for being impact brecciated and having dark "shock veins".

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See info. at: www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?sea=Vinales&sfor=... and

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L_chondrite