Abstract: Enstatite chondrites are one of the most reduced types of meteorites found, originating from close to the inner region of the solar protoplanetary disk, and are of great importance to the study of the evolution of the early solar nebulas and the origin of the Earth. This paper reviews the petrological and mineralogical characteristics of different types of enstatite chondrites, sorts the classification criteria of different subtypes, and discusses the origin of their parent bodies. Abee (EH4), which fell in 1952, and GRV 13100 (EH4), which was recovered from Grove Mountain, Antarctica, in 2013, were redefined and subdivided in terms of these classification criteria. Abee was redefined as EHb-5β type (debris and matrix) or EHb-6β type (dark inclusion), while GRV 13100 was subdivided into EHa-4α type. The origin of the parent bodies of these enstatite chondrites, and the peak temperature during metamorphism and the degrees of equilibrium after metamorphism, are directly reflected by the comprehensive use of subgroups a and b and the textural–mineralogical classification method.

Key words: enstatite chondrite, petrology, mineralogy, subtype classification, parent body