Chondrite classes
Chondrites are divided into classes, mainly ordinary, carbonaceous and enstatite, and then into groups within each class.
Chondrites are sorted in a hierarchy. The top level is the chondrite class. The three main classes are ordinary chondrites, carbonaceous chondrites and enstatite chondrites. Smaller classes include the Rumuruti chondrites and the Kakangari chondrites.
Each class is divided into groups, and the groups are defined by chemistry, oxygen isotopes, chondrule size, metal content and the way iron is shared between metal and silicate. Ordinary chondrites split into H, L and LL. Carbonaceous chondrites split into CI, CM, CO, CV, CK, CR, CH and CB. Enstatite chondrites split into EH and EL.
This structure is useful because each group seems to come from a different parent body or set of related bodies, while the classes reflect broad differences in where and how they formed in the early disc. When a meteorite is classified, it is assigned to a group if possible and then given a petrologic type, so a label such as CV3 or L6 tells a reader a good deal at a glance.
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