Description
Northwest Africa 5335 (NWA 5335)
(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: 2008
Classification: Mesosiderite
History: The meteorite was purchased from a meteorite dealer in Besancon.
Physical characteristics: Many brownish fragments without fusion crust.
Petrography: The meteorite is composed of about 60% silicates and 40% FeNi metal. The metallic lithology consists of kamacite and taenite, the silicate fraction is dominated by up to 1 mm sized and compositionally zoned low-Ca pyroxene, less abundant olivine, and calcic plagioclase. Minor phases include silica, chromite, troilite, and merrillite.
Geochemistry: olivine: Fa30.3±0.2 (Fa29.8-30.8, n=12, FeO/MnO=27±3); low-Ca pyroxene: Fs29.6±5.2Wo4.6±2.4 (Fs22.3-44.9Wo1.5-10.2, n=13, FeO/MnO=27±4); calcic plagioclase: An93.1±1.3 (An91.6-96.0, n=14)
