Chela
Seen to fall in 1988 in Tanzania · 2.9 kg recovered · H4
Chela is the most recent and second-heaviest of the eight falls recorded in Tanzania. It is the only H4 fall recorded in Tanzania.
- Group
- H chondrites
- Recorded position
- 3.667° S, 32.500° E
The map is centred on Chela. Rings every 200 km; numbers match the table below.
Nearest recorded falls
The closest recorded fall to Chela is Malampaka, 127 km to the north-east. Within 250 km lies one other recorded fall.
| # | Fall | Year | Class | Recovered | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malampaka | 1930 | H | 470 g | 127 km north-east |
| 2 | Ufana | 1957 | EL6 | 189 g | 323 km east |
| 3 | Karatu | 1963 | LL6 | 2.2 kg | 343 km east |
| 4 | Ruhobobo | 1976 | L6 | 466 g | 385 km north-west |
| 5 | Maziba | 1942 | L6 | 5 kg | 389 km north-west |
| 6 | Kalaba | 1951 | H4 | 950 g | 484 km south-west |
What H4 means
H4 is the label for an ordinary chondrite with high total iron, petrologic type 4, mildly heated on its parent body. By recovered mass Chela ranks 31st of the 50 H4 falls. The nearest other H4 fall is Kalaba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 484 km away. In date order among H4 falls, the one before Chela is Noventa Vicentina (1971, Italy) and the one after is Galkiv (1995, Ukraine).
Chela in Tanzania’s record
The fall recorded before Chela in Tanzania is Karatu, in 1963.
The 1980s
Chela is one of 54 falls dated to the 1980s. Elsewhere, the record lists five other falls in 1988, among them Chisenga in Malawi, Palca de Aparzo in Argentina, Trebbin in Germany.