Valencia” is a chondrite (silicate-rich stony meteorite) and forms part of the rock collection of the Department of Geology of the University of Valencia, Spain. References do exist regarding falls on Spain’s east coast: Oliva-Gandía in 1520, Valencia in 1603, and Peñíscola in 1916. Unfortunately, no specimens are known to exist. Thus, the meteorite Valencia cannot be clearly assigned to a specific event.

Valencia is a parallelepiped-shaped specimen measuring 37 by 24.5 by 19.5 centimeters, weighing 33.5 kilograms, and having an average density of 3.7 grams per cubic centimeter. Externally, it displays a 1-millimeter-thick, dark-fusion crust and numerous imprints of atmospheric flight (regmaglypts and friction striae).

Transmitted and reflected light microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies, as well as electron microprobe analyses, indicate that Valencia is composed of silicates (forsterite, clinoenstatite, and minor albite), iron-nickel alloys (kamacite, taenite), sulphides (troilite), oxides (periclase, hercynite) and sulphates (yavapaiite). Geochemically, Valencia matches the ordinary H5-type chondrite.

Estimated exposition ages for Valencia, based on isotopes of helium, neon, and argon, indicate an average exposition age of 6.9 Ma, with a possible loss of helium. Ages of gas retention, based on isotopes of helium and argon, suggest that the loss of helium was greater than that of argon. Researchers are still investigating whether this loss was conditioned by a subsequent impact, after the individualization impact of Valencia from the parent body, or resulted from other processes.

From Muñoz-Sanz et al. (1999)