Carbonaceous Chondrites

Carbonaceous Chondrites are a subclass of the chondrite family of stony meteorites which as the name states have much more carbon in them than ordinary chondrites. Since they are chondrite they have the spherical chondrules. In face the chondrules in carbonaceous meteorites can be very pristine, large and often colorful. Often in carbonaceous meteorites there are irregularly shaped structures call Calcium Aluminum Inclusions or CAIs for short. Amino acids and larger amounts of volatile chemical compounds are found in carbonaceous chondrites. Some even have a distinct smell from these chemicals.