Classification: Ungrouped achondrite S-low / W-low
Time/Place: 2019 in Zouerat, Mauritania
Mass: 1603g (310g)
History: Found in Mauritania and purchased by Rachid and Jaouad Chaoui in December 2019 from a dealer in Zouerat, Mauritania.
Physical characteristics: The specimen lacks fusion crust and is coated by a shiny brown desert patina. Polished interior surfaces reveal the presence of rare tiny specks of partially altered metal.
Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) The specimen has a fine grained, poikilitic igneous texture. Composed predominantly of polysynthetically-twinned, compositionally-zoned pyroxene oikocrysts (with domains of orthopyroxene, pigeonite and subcalcic augite) enclosing chadacrysts of olivine, together with interstitial devitrified silicic glass (pale pink in thin section) plus accessory troilite (some Cr-bearing), Ti-poor chromite and very rare kamacite (some altered to Fe hydroxides). Olivine is preferentially stained pale orange in thin section, and there are some cross-cutting dilation veins filled with comminuted olivine and orthopyroxene. Minor secondary calcite and anhydrite are present.
NOTE: Let’s be honest, this meteorite is ugly, but it’s still a rare, ungrouped material. All slices I saw on the pages were poorly prepared or not polished. So I took a risk, I bought a 310g specimen, cut it out and sent it to mirror polishing to prepare them as best as possible to get all the details out of the slices.
Slices are one side mirror polished, natural surface, back side is only sanded and covered with paraloid.
