Shergottites
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Martian (shergottite)
Country
Year found
2007
Mass
60 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 1.60g
This is 1 of 295 approved meteorites (plus 2 unapproved names) classified as Martian (shergottite). Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 97, MAPS 45, 449-493 (2010)
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Martian (shergottite)
Country
Year found
2011
Mass
8 kg
[Museum Collection]
(1) 34.1g (2) 6.619g *This meteorite was donated to Natural History Museum Vienna.
(3) 1.834g (4) 1.806g (5) 1.746g
(6) 1.617g (7) 1.570g
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 searching for more pieces. Pieces ranging from 100 to 700 g have been recovered, as well as a few small pieces (3-10 g), most of them are broken and partially covered by a thin fusion crust. The total mass may be as much as 8-10 kg. Physical characteristics: The original recovered material was a shiny, dark, 83 g fusion-crusted stone in three pieces. Minimal weathering. Interior shows abundant maskelynite and shock melt vein. Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Microprobe examination of a polished epoxy mount shows 60% pyroxene, 35% maskelynite, 2% ulvöspinel, 2% melt pockets with silica, minor merrillite, trace chlorapatite and pyrrhotite. Pyroxenes show core-to-rim zonation. Pyroxene grains 200 μm to >1 mm, maskelynite domains 50 μm to >1 mm. Geochemistry: (C. Agee and N. Wilson, UNM) Two distinct pyroxene compositional trends. Pigeonite Fs29Wo11En59 to Fs58Wo16En26, average: Fs39.7±7.7 Wo13.0±2.3 Fe/Mn=33±3 N=108. Augite Fs21Wo34En45 to Fs39Wo31En30, average: Fs28.1±6.2Wo31.6±1.9 Fe/Mn=31±3 N=24. Maskelynite Or2.3±0.7Ab48.3±2.1An49.4±2.6 N=9. Oxygen isotopes (Z. Sharp, UNM): δ18O=4.332; δ17O=2.528; Δ17O=+0.241 (all per mil). Classification: Achondrite (Martian, shergottite); minimal weathering, high shock grade based on complete transformation of plagioclase to maskelynite. Pyroxene compositional trends are similar, but not identical to Shergotty. Specimens: 17 g including microprobe mount on deposit UNM. AHabibi holds the original recovered mass.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Martian (shergottite)
Country
Year found
2012
Mass
2.13 kg
[Museum Collection]
(1) 5.140g (2) 5.669g (3) 0.797g
History: Found near Smara, Morocco and purchased by Darryl Pitt and David Gheesling from a dealer in Zagora, Morocco in 2012 June. Physical characteristics: A 2130 g, partially covered in fusion crust. Interior larger ovoid crystals in a finer grained matrix. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Large oikocrysts (up to 1.5 cm across) of low-Ca pyroxene enclose multiple chadacrysts of olivine and Cr-rich chromite. Relatively equigranular domains between oikocrysts are composed of low-Ca and high-Ca pyroxene (showing very limited compositional zoning), maskleynite and olivine with accessory merrillite, Ti-chromite, pyrrhotite and ilmenite (with associated grains of baddeleyite up to 10 μm across). Olivine contains sparse melt inclusions composed of K-Na-Al-Si-rich glass surrounded by characteristic post-shock radial expansion microfractures. Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa38.9-40.7; FeO/MnO = 47-54), orthopyroxene (Fs30.3Wo3.3; FeO/MnO = 36), pigeonite (Fs25.1-27.6Wo6.6-10.0; FeO/MnO = 28-33), subcalcic augite (Fs17.0-19.0Wo35.1-35.4; FeO/MnO = 22-25). Bulk trace element composition (G. Chen, UAb): analysis by ICP-MS of clean wire-saw cutting dust gave (in ppm) La 1.66, Ce 4.48, Nd 2.93, Sm 1.13, Eu 0.3, Gd 1.59, Dy 1.95, Yb 1.02, Lu 0.14, Hf 1.66, Th 1.15, Rb 2.89, Sr 33.6. Classification: Martian (shergottite, poikilitic). Specimens: A total of 20 g of type material and one large polished thin section are on deposit at UWB. The main mass is held jointly by DPitt and D. Gheesling.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Martian (shergottite)
Country
Year found
2014
Mass
234 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 3.593g (2) 2.320g *This meteorite was donated to Natural History Museum Vienna.
(3) 1.952g (4) 1.784g (5) 1.387g
(6) 0.318g
History: Purchased by Eric Twelker from a Moroccan dealer at the Denver Show in September 2014. Physical characteristics: Wind-ablated exterior with some small patches of dull black fusion crust. Cut interior surfaces are overall greenish-gray with clear, glassy maskelynite evident, and sporadically distributed dark glass pockets and veinlets Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Diabasic texture. Composed predominantly of complexly zoned, prismatically-twinned clinopyroxene (up to 3.8 mm long) and maskelynite laths (up to 1.8 mm long) with accessory ilmenite, ulvöspinel, pyrrhotite, merrillite, chlorapatite and vesicular glass. Minor components are anorthoclase (containing blades of silica polymorph) and symplectitic intergrowths of ferrosilite+silica. Geochemistry: Subcalcic augite (Fs20.8-21.8Wo36.4-34.1, FeO/MnO = 28-30, N = 2), ferroan subcalcic augite (Fs39.1Wo30.7, FeO/MnO = 39), pigeonite (Fs33.7-53.1Wo11.8-11.6, FeO/MnO = 38-39, N = 2), ferropigeonite rims (Fs65.1-67.1Wo18.7-14.4, FeO/MnO = 37-41, N = 3), ferrosilite (Fs75.4Wo2.0, FeO/MnO = 41), plagioclase (maskelynite) (An42.3-45.3Or2.8-2.7, N = 2), anorthoclase (An33.4Or15.0). Classification: Martian (shergottite, diabasic). Likely paired with NWA 8656. Specimens: 20.9 g plus one polished thin section at UWB. The remaining material is held by E. Twelker.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Martian (shergottite)
Country
Year found
2015
Mass
111 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 5.101g (2) 5.018g (3) 2.190g
(4) 1.871g (5) 0.565g (6) 0.486g
(7) 0.320g (8) 0.269g (9) 0.193g
History: Purchased by Eric Twelker in September 2015 from a dealer at the Denver Show. Physical characteristics: The stone (111 g) exhibits a semi-glossy, green and black, wind-ablated exterior. The interior is notable for the presence of relatively abundant pockets of dark, vesicular glass. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Diabasic texture. Composed mainly of zoned clinopyroxene and maskelynite with accessory ilmenite, ulvöspinel, pyrrhotite, chlorapatite, Fe-bearing merrillite and silica polymorph (associated with maskelynite), plus pockets of shock glass (light brown in thin section with a swirled appearance). Geochemistry: Pigeonite (Fs43.9-44.2Wo15.3-14.3; Fs65.8Wo13.8; FeO/MnO = 30-35; N = 3), subcalcic augite (Fs20.7-21.1Wo35.3-33.9, FeO/MnO = 24-25; Fs55.5Wo23.3, FeO/MnO = 34 ; N = 3), maskelynite (An44.5-54.4Or5.4-1.3, N = 3). Classification: Martian (shergottite, diabasic). Paired with NWA 8656 and NWA 8657. Specimens: 22.2 g including one polished thin section at UWB; remainder with Twelker.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Martian (shergottite)
Country
Year found
2015
Mass
407 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 1.64g
History: Purchased by Marc Jost Agadir, Morocco, from Aziz Habibi Physical characteristics: Greenish gray, heterogeneous looking stones (five fragments of 7.14 to 332.5 g) with partially preserved fusion crust. Petrography: (B. Hofmann, NMBE and Å. Rosén, Bern) The meteorite consists of dominant calcic pyroxene occurring as elongated crystals 2-3 mm in length and maskelynite typically 1-2 mm in size. Rare free silica intergrown with maskelynite. The meteorite shows a high abundance of vesicular glasses, a dark one is shock melt and a lighter one possibly fusion crust intruded into preexisting cavities. Geochemistry: (Å. Rosén, Bern and B. Hofmann, NMBE) Pyroxene compositions are Fs36.4±10.9Wo25.3±8.7 (Fs20.6-65.5Wo9.2-35.6), mean FeO/MnO = 33.3±5.4 (n=120). Maskelynite has An50.1±3.7Or2.3±1.2 (An40.7-54.7Or1.3-6.2). Dark/green glass has SiO2 50.8/49.3, Al2O3 8.06/8.15, CaO 11.5/11.3, MgO 7.7/7.6, FeO 18.1/18.3, MnO 0.48/0.49, Na2O 1.04/1.53, K2O 0.18/0.07, TiO2 0.88/0.92, Cr2O3 0.16/0.16, FeO/MnO 38.1/37.7 (n= 16/20). Oxygen isotopes: (R. Greenwood, OU) δ18O=4.932, δ17O=2.902, Δ17O= 0.337 (all ‰). Classification: Based on petrography, mineral compositions (including Fe/Mn-ratios) and oxygen isotopes this is a strongly shocked shergottite. Specimens: 31.1 g plus one polished thin section at NMBE. Main mass: Marc Jost, SJS.