Author Archives: moky99

Northwest Africa 7135 (NWA 7135) Northwest Africa Purchased: 2010 Oct Classification: Ungrouped chondrite History: Purchased by Fabien Kuntz in October 2010 from a Moroccan dealer at the Munich Show. Physical characteristics: Brown stone (51.3 g) lacking fusion crust and with evident light-colored, round chondrules. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Composed of separated, mostly spherical, relatively small chondrules (mean 0.69±0.53 mm, n=40) in a matrix (~30 vol.%) rich in altered kamacite. Some chondrules contain interstitial feldspathic glass. Minerals are olivine, […]

Northwest Africa 7129 (NWA 7129) (Northwest Africa) Purchased: 2011 Sep Classification: Ungrouped achondrite History: Purchased by Gary Fujihara from a Moroccan dealer in September 2011. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Very fresh granular aggregate of very finely exsolved, pinkish-brown pyroxene, polygranular calcic plagioclase, sparse twinned plagioclase laths, ilmenite, minor ferroan olivine, pyrrhotite and Ni-free metal. A blade of baddeleyite was found in one ilmenite grain. Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa82.2-82.7, FeO/MnO = 81-85), low-Ca pyroxene host (Fs63.9Wo6.0), FeO/MnO = 63) […]

Meteoritical Bulletin 101 Northwest Africa 7034 (NWA 7034), updated information, based on Agee et al. (2013) Revised classification: Martian, Basaltic Breccia Updated petrography (C. Agee, UNM): Porphyritic basaltic monomict breccia, with a few euhedral phenocrysts up to several millimeters and many phenocryst fragments of dominant andesine, low-Ca pyroxene, pigeonite, and augite set in a very fine-grained, clastic to plumose, groundmass with abundant magnetite and maghemite; accessory sanidine, anorthoclase, Cl-rich apatite, ilmenite, rutile, chromite, pyrite, and goethite, identified by electron microprobe analyses […]

Northwest Africa 6963 (NWA 6963)                         28°00.148’N   11°07.895’W South, Morocco Found: 2011 Classification: Martian meteorite (Shergottite) History: (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane, FSAC) In September, 2011, a Moroccan meteorite hunter found the first pieces of NWA 6963 and sold it to AHabibi without giving the exact provenance. The hunter continued collecting pieces in the same area for about 6 months. In mid-May, 2012, the NWA 6963 locality, near the river Oued Touflit, became widely known and hundreds of meteorite hunters went to the area […]

Northwest Africa 6933 (NWA 6933) (Northwest Africa) Purchased: 2010 Classification: HED achondrite (Eucrite) Petrography: (K. Metzler, IfP) Coarse-grained eucritic clasts with ophitic to subophitic textures and mineral fragments (pyroxene, plagioclase, silica polymorph) set in a dark gray matrix. The matrix represents a crystallized melt with subophitic texture consisting of pyroxene and skeletal plagioclase crystals. Lithic clasts and mineral fragments are strongly recrystallized. Some pyroxene fragments contain Fe-rich olivine veins. Accessories are ilmenite, troilite, and metal (mostly oxidized). Calcite veins occur. Geochemistry: […]

lace of purchase: Besancon, France Date: P 2010 Aug Mass (g): 1277 Pieces: 1 Class: CO3 Shock stage: S2 Weathering grade: W1 Fayalite (mol%): 0.9-55.5 Ferrosilite (mol%): 1.3-4.2; 1.3-3.9 Wollastonite (mol%): 0.9; 36.7-41.4 Classifier: A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS Type spec mass (g): 21 Type spec location: 2.6 g UWS, 18.4 g BathO Main mass: F. Kuntz Comments: Cr2O3 in Fe olivine 0.04-0.12 wt%; estimated subtype 3.4; field name K157; submitted by A. Irving

probably paired Northwest Africa 6685 (NWA 6685) (Northwest Africa) Purchased: 2010 Classification: Primitive achondrite (Lodranite) History: Purchased by Giorgio Tomelleri from a dealer in Erfoud, Morocco. Physical characteristics: A complete stone weighing 524 g, with fusion crust. Petrography: (V. Moggi Cecchi, G. Pratesi, S. Caporali MSP). The thin section is dominated by large olivine and subordinate orthopyroxene phenocrysts (to 8 mm) embedded in an interstitial fine-grained matrix of the same phases. The matrix grains range from 0.01 to 0.1 mm. Plagioclase […]

Northwest Africa 5884 (NWA 5884) (Northwest Africa) Purchased: 2009 Classification: Ureilite History: The meteorite was bought in 2009 from a Moroccan meteorite dealer in Erfoud, Morocco. Physical characteristics: Brownish individual lacking any fusion crust. Petrography: The meteorite shows a cumulate texture of coarse up to 1.5 mm sized Cr-rich olivine and pigeonite crystals. It contains flaky graphite; olivine displays characteristic reduced rims. Geochemistry: reduced rims in olivine: Fa5.8-8.5; Cr2O3 in ol: ~0.6 wt%

Place of purchase: Alnif Date: 2008 Mass (g): 369 Pieces: 1 Class: CV3 Fayalite (mol%): 1.7-62.0 Ferrosilite (mol%): 5.5-17.3 Classifier: Bunch, NAU Type spec mass (g): 24.7 Type spec location: FM Main mass: FM

Northwest Africa 2986 (NWA 2986) Morocco Purchased: 2006 Classification: Martian meteorite (shergottite) History: Three partially crusted stones with a weight of 201 g were purchased in Erfoud, Morocco, in 2006. Petrography: (T. Bunch and J. Wittke, NAU): A basaltic shergottite that contains 54 vol% Ca-pyroxene (pigeonite and augite), 41 vol% plagioclase (maskelynite) and minor ulvöspinel, ilmenite, merrillite, chlorapatite, pyrrhotite, and K-Si-rich, late stage glasses. Pyroxene shows mottled compositional zoning. Dark, shock pocket glasses and veins are also present. A few […]