St louis meteorite. Quartz, calcite, magnetite, and hematite in meteorites.

St louis meteorite Nazarov, Vernad. 71. Lunar Meteorite Information. Stony meteorites contain only 1% nickel at most. Sawcut surfaces show a breccia with gray-green clasts bounded by dark colored shock melt. I found it during the 1988-1989 ANSMET season in Antarctica. A. Physical Characteristics: Five grayish-greenish fragments lacking fusion crust. Alumina can be easily purchased as a white powder that is used for At 11. 6 kg) lacking Classification: Lunar meteorite (troctolite) Physical characteristics: Brownish stone. This meteorite contains crystalline mineral debris evidently derived from both feldspathic and mare basaltic lithologies. 109. Figure 2. 2110. 7. Louis A fusion crust is the most characteristic feature that distinguishes a meteorite from a plain old Earth rock. History: The meteorite was purchased from a group of meteorites hunters in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, in August, 2022. Louis, City of St. Gao, Mali Find: 2022 Mass: 20 g (2 pieces) Lunar meteorite. ©2025 from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. The fusion crust is strikingly vesicular (it has gas bubbles) because the meteorite is a regolith breccia. e. Louis A meteorite out of the ground needs a lot of work before it will obtain a high price. If a stony meteorite landed in the water and later washed up on a beach it would have lost its fusion crust and regmaglypts as a result of abrasion against other rocks from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. Northwest Africa 17061 (NWA 17061) (Northwestern Africa) Purchased: 2023 Mass: 2900 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (melt breccia) ©2025 Washington University in St. , research associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington Some meteorites are basalts (lunar, Mars, HEDs) but planetary basalts tend to have greater Fe 2 O 3 (T)+MgO (22-42%) and Cr but and lower Al 2 O 3, Na 2 O, and K 2 O than terrestrial basalts of the same Fe 2 O 3 (T)+MgO (below). Louis This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name. Meteorites do not contain any substantial amount of quartz, whereas quartz is common in many terrestrial rocks. Northwest Africa 8641 (NWA 8641) (Northwest Africa) Purchased: 2014 May Mass: 5895 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased in May 2014 by Darryl Pitt from a dealer in Erfoud, Morocco. , Spettel B. Photo credit: Craig Zlimen A 19-cm-wide slice of NWA 14729. The stone is complete, St. Gattacceca, CEREGE) Granular igneous rock with grain size 600 µm. In the scientific meteorite literature, some ambiguous meteorwrongs have been designated pseudometeorites. ©2024 Washington University in St. Notice the contraction cracks in the glass. How big are meteorites? Not everything that falls from the sky is a meteorite. This spectacular meteorite fall coincided with the yearly Geminid meteor shower, a separate astronomical event. Lunar and Planetary Science XXI, 1323 The NWA 7034 clan of martian meteorites is the only meteorite of which I am aware that has large “round things” in it. 8 g (1 piece) Lunar Meteorite. Physical characteristics : Fourteen pieces, the largest being 248 g, all with smooth to irregular exterior surfaces with indentations resembling large vesicles; patches of sandblasted fusion crust were also observed. Prepared by: Randy L. Some of these, at least, have required chemical or mineralogical Lunar meteorite (norite) History: Two pieces of this meteorite (342 g and 127 g) were purchased by Bachir Salek in December 2021 from a dealer in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, who said that he had found them at 20. Louis This iron meteorite piece, labeled St. The light-colored “gabbro” clasts are impact-melt breccia Sikhote-Alin (IIAB iron, 23 tons, but there are thousands of pieces) is a good example of an iron meteorite with a patina. 2016 at Tucson Lunar meteorite (melt breccia) History: Purchased from Bachir Salek by Fossil Realm Inc. 7, -90. With his colleagues, Dr. Haack, NHMD) Metal-rich clast-laden vitric breccia consisting of glass and fine-grained mineral debris (mostly pyroxenes, olivine, anorthite and The term cataclastic implies that it is shocked and fractured by meteorite impacts, which causes the opaque white color as opposed to the translucence one sees in terrestrial plagioclase-rich rocks of this size. Also, any terrestrial igneous rock will not give a streak, so absence of a streak does not indicate that the rock is a meteorite. The rock is not a meteor. Louis. 66. Known for their brightness and speed, the Orionids reach If you do contact me, tell me why, on the basis of this chart, you think your rock might be a meteorite. Northwestern Africa Purchased: 2013 Mass: 85. Before it was shock compacted, the fine-grained material had soaked up a lot of solar wind at the surface of the Moon. Louis Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: These two stones were found by meteorite hunters driving off-road between Tabelbala, Algeria, and the Erg Chech 002 find locality. History: Found in 2022 during a search of meteorites in the desert; later acquired by Jose Garcia in 2022. It measures 2 x 1. The one on the right is quite weathered, but fusion crust still remains on about 80% of the surface that we can see. Some pieces show a light-gray, remnant fusion crust on one or more faces, with most having no fusion crust. Seminole (f) (H5 chondrite) photo Jilin (H5 chondrite) photo Dawn (a) (H6 chondrite) photo Photos people have sent me of things that look like meteorites, 2. Northwest Africa 8687 (NWA 8687) (Mauritania) Found: 2014 April Mass: 563 g (5 pieces) Lunar Meteorite (troctolite) History: Purchased by Adam Aaronson in Morocco, Lunar meteorite (basalt) History: Found in northwest Africa, purchased by Bachir Salek in 2021. Photo credit: Matthew Stream Clasts in NWA 16484. The fragment in the center has a blue-green tint as do some of the clasts in NWA 16484, thus the color in the meteorites is probably not a terrestrial weathering effect. The cube is 1 cm square. Most of the Approximate Recovery Location: St. Northwest Africa 2998 is an “oriented” meteorite. Petrography: (D. D. Physical characteristics: Several grayish brown stones (total weight 15. 3 g stone lacking fusion crust with visible Most lunar meteorites from hot deserts contain calcium carbonate or calcium sulfate of terrestrial origin. 113. Bechar 009. , and Miyamoto M. Y-791197 is a polymict microbreccia containing A type of meteorwrong that we have encountered ~15 times (persons have sent samples or photos) is an industrial alloy called ferromanganese that is used in making steel. Abbreviation: There is no official abbreviation for this meteorite. Louis A Photo Gallery of Lunar Meteorites from Antarctica. LAP 02205 is a complete stone with bits of fusion crust chipped off. QUE 03069 is a fragment that broke off a larger meteorite after it landed on the ice. Louis and his colleagues have identified the space rock as a rare type of pallasite meteorite, the researchers said today (Nov. Dhofar 1527. Lunar Meteorite (basalt) History: Purportedly found in Morocco and purchased by Ben Hoefnagels in August 2018 from a dealer in Zagora, Morocco. 0, and 3. 7-g slice of Northwest Africa 16484. A saw cut reveals a If the rock is a breccia that contains iron-nickel metal, then it is a meteorite. I sent a sample of this Lunar and Planetary Science XIV, Abstracts from the Session on Meteorites from Earth’s Moon, 25-26. , Chokai J. Some common minerals in terrestrial rocks are rare or inconspicuous in meteorites. 75-85% manganese (Mn), 6-7% carbon (C), with the rest being mainly iron (Fe) Lunar meteorite (anorthositic granulitic breccia) History: A single stone was found in the desert region ~3 km northeast of the town of Sali, Algeria. Lunar meteorite (basaltic fragmental breccia) A single stone of about 13. Planetary impact breccias. 1. Contemporary accounts of the meteorite fall report a fireball some Lunar meteorite (melt breccia) History: The meteorite was purchased from a dealer in Morocco. Olivine is rare and occurs in small amounts as fine grains. Metal detectors certainly cannot detect the gold and iridium in a meteorite. (2017) Update (2012–2017) on lunar meteorites from Oman. Of the hundreds of meteorites that have been found in the United States, none has been a lunar meteorite, and only one has been a Mars meteorite. Physical characteristics: The specimen is partially covered by glass with smooth surface. Surface coloration consists of The meteorite is a fragmental breccia (left) containing large clasts of crystalline impact-melt breccia (right). History: In 2013, the NHMV acquired a single stone weighing 85. , chondrites, iron meteorites) that strike the lunar surface. Probably for less than 1 in 1000 photos have I thought, “Yes, that might be a meteorite. 6 kg (several pieces) Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: A group of similar stones were found together at an undisclosed location in southern Morocco during 2015. 5 g including one polished mount at ©2025 Washington University in St. Also, the reported concentration of sulfur, 0. Nearest towns to this find are Adrar and Tamentit, from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences Washington University in St. Korotev R. The cut face shows a dark gray interior with sporadic white areas. Physical Characteristics: Many brownish fragments without fusion crust. Louis This large meteorite, Lewis Cliff 85320 (H5 chondrite, (110 kg) has lots of regmaglypts. Where are meteorites found? How are meteorites named? Map of Missouri meteorite finds and falls. 5-g slice of Northwest Africa 14729. Quartz is harder than any of the common minerals in meteorites. Korotev measures When broken the unpolished interior is the same color as the exterior, unlike in a meteorite. Many to most of the rocks below are terrestrial volcanic rocks; some are slags. Randy Korotev with a sample meteorite found in Siberia. All polymict breccias are likely to be fragmental, regolith, glassy, or impact-melt breccias with Geochemist Randy Korotev of Washington University in St. ©2025 Washington University in St. S. Exterior is very dark in color with irregular to smooth, sandblasted, A 12. Louis Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia) History: Found in the desert region near the Libya-Sudan border by a nomad in 2021. Irving, UWS , and P. Francois County is a rare type of iron, a IC, of which there are only 13 known specimens. If you are particularly certain that your rock is a meteorite and you really want to convince me or any other scientist, then I urge you to obtain a chemical analysis at a commercial rock-testing laboratory. There is a meteorite there, but you cannot see it. L, Zeigler R. An A to Z list of some meteorite names Meteorites are named after the place where they are found. from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. Irving, UWS and J. ” Meteorites can not be identified from photos with from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. , Weckwerth G. The metal in iron meteorites, stony-iron meteorites, and pallasites strongly attracts a cheap ceramic magnet. Calcalong Creek. Photo credit: Heritage Auctions NWA 2996 (968 g). Major Lunar meteorite (impact melt breccia) History: A 1015 g stone was purchased on 2001 January 10 in Alnif, Morocco, by Michael Farmer. (2009) Compositional and lithological diversity among brecciated lunar meteorites of intermediate iron It is consistent, however, with a common type of terrestrial volcanic rock known as basaltic andesite. htm (accessed Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased by Wei Jiang in 2020 from a meteorite dealer. Photo Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 16894. Photo credit: Matthew Stream and Daniel Mistakenly identified meteorites have the moniker of “meteorwrongs. Basalts are rich in iron, which causes the fusion crust to be dark. Red “I” = iron, “OC” = ordinary chondrite. If broken in two, the inside color would be the same as the outside color. 4 x 0. Physical Characteristics: Three dark grayish fragments lacking fusion crust. Boesenberg and Irving (2024) note that on the basis of petrography: “NWA 16286 does not appear to have an obvious match among the other 20 known lunar basalt meteorites, though NWA 14526 and NWA 14137 certainly appear close. back to “Some Meteorite Realities” ©2024 Washington University in St. Lunar meteorite (melt breccia) History: Purchased from a dealer in 2023. All photos by Randy Korotev. Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 17061. 5 The St. 7g was found in the Dhofar region of Oman. "Meteorite study suggests Earth may have been wet since it formed. Louis Lunar meteorite (feldspathic impact melt breccia) A grey stone weighing 21. The only recent meteorite impact that made a crater of which I am aware is Carancas. By long-standing convention, meteorites are given names and those names represent the place where the meteorite was found. , and Jolliff B. Lunar meteorite (troctolite melt rock) History: Purchased by Ziyao Wang in October 2023 from a dealer in Agadir, Morocco. If a rock has a lot of vesicles (gas bubbles, holes), then it is not a meteorite. 5 cm sized gabbroic and quench-textured melt clasts plus abundant up to 4 mm sized mineral fragments in a fine-grained clastic Stony meteorites. Northwest Africa 11524 (NWA 11524) (northwestern Africa) Purchased: 2017 June Mass: 820 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia) History: Purchased in June 2017 from Aziz Habibi in Erfoud, Morocco. Petrography: (Ansgar Greshake, MNB) Melt breccia composed of up to 1 cm sized mostly angular to subrounded grayish-greenish clasts set in abundant melt rock matrix. The rock you found is not a meteorite. Zufar, Oman found: 2011 December 9 Mass: 292 g (1 piece) Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Found by a prospector in December 2011. Physical characteristics: A single brownish-green stone of 24. -K. (1993) Geochemical investigations of two lunar mare meteorites: Yamato-793169 and Asuka-881757. Physical Characteristics: Single roughly spheroidal stone. Many Scientists working at Washington University in St. Physical characteristics: Light grayish to slightly greenish rock without fusion crust. If a rock has many vesicles, then it solidified Impact breccias are fractal. Photo credit: MSG Meteorites Two sides of a 19. com / releases / 2020 / 08 / 200827141334. Flow features are easily visible in hand Washington University in St. St. Most are the products of violent collisions between stony and iron asteroids. Photo credit: unknown Lab samples of the NWA 2995-clan stones. The fusion crust on feldspathic lunar breccias is lighter in color that that on chondrites and basaltic meteorites. Yamato 82192 | 82193 | 86032. Quartz is so hard that it will easily make a deep scratch in glass. Loulan Yizhi 034 – Ureilite (China, desert) Little or no fusion crust. Opaque phases (Free advice: If meteorite is misspelled, then it is probably not a meteorite. 1 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) Petrography: (P. 4 g (1 piece) feldspathic regolith breccia. Northwest Africa 11962 (NWA 11962). The stone has highly unusual chemistry, suspiciously like that found by the Messenger space probe, which I have examined thousands of photos that people have sent to me over the past 20+ years. Meteorites are classified as “falls” if they were observed falling and recovered, while “finds” are those discovered later, often weathered by longer exposure to Earth’s environment and without a from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. ) Alumina is a common name of the chemical compound Al 2 O 3 – aluminum oxide. 103. Tisserlitine 001. This photo of Almahata Sitta has distinctly green olivine crystals. 6 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: A complete stone recovered by Jim Labenne in March, 2009. Koizumi E. Louis County, Missouri, on December 10th, 1950. Some brecciated achondrites contain iron-nickel metal, but not much, although in a few (e. Wentworth S. Below are some photos of sawn faces of ordinary chondrites. None of the feldspathic lunar meteorites collected in Antarctica by ANSMET or NIPR have CaO/Al 2 O 3 greater than 0. The first piece was found 2 days later. (2007) Miller Range 05035 and Meteorite Hills 01210: Two basaltic lunar meteorites, both likely source-crater paired with Asuka 881757 and Yamato 793169. Warren P. Contemporary accounts of the meteorite fall Name: St. A saw cut reveals a fragmental breccia with numerous white feldspathic clasts and Classification: Lunar meteorite (anorthosite) History: This meteorite was reportedly found in Libya at the same location as Gadamis 002 in 2021, purchased by Abdelhadi Aithiba in 2021. The metal in meteorites is mostly composed of iron but also at least 5% nickel. None has a fusion crust because none is a meteorite. The meteorite was found Lunar meteorite (troctolitic anorthosite) History: Purchased in 2023 by Mark Lyon and Jason Bliss. Louis from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. Photo credit: Heritage Auctions For scale. Northwest Africa 16894 (NWA 16894) Western Sahara Purchased: 2023 April Mass: 1230 g (many pieces) Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia) ©2025 Washington University in St. Louis announced today (November 10, 2011). Kraemer and A. Each of these minerals are among the many minerals listed by Rubin (1997a,b) and Rubin and Chi (2017) that have been The 17. Louis St. 2 g total weight. Basaltic clasts have mostly intersertal and intergranular textures. If you send me a photo of a rock that does not have a fusion crust, then I am not Some few meteorites have "flow lines" but some terrestrial rocks, both natural and man-made, have features that may resemble meteorite flow lines . (Courtesy of the Meteoritical Bulletin Database and Google Earth). Louis Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: The meteorite was purchased by Said Yousfi from a dealer in Temara, Morocco. Greshake, MNB ) Breccia composed of up to 1. , and Wänke H. It came through the atmosphere without tumbling front to back. Bischoff, IfP) Breccia composed of angular anorthite-rich lithic and mineral fragments embedded in a fine-grained clastic matrix. Meteorwrong is an amusing term – a “play on words” – applied to rocks said or thought to be meteorites by someone but which are actually terrestrial rocks or man-made objects. Mineralogy and classification (M. The brightest materials in each photo are metal grains (veins in “Richarton”). Also, the rock contained only 40 ppm Cr whereas basaltic meteorites (Mars, Moon, Vesta) usually contain 2000-8000 ppm Cr. An interior slice reveals an assortment of light and dark-coloured Iron-oxide nodules or concretions are the most common kind of meteorwrong sent to us. Carlos Muñecas purchased the samples from a dealer in Algeria in July 2021. Physical characteristics: Single stone, no fusion crust. 101. ” He says that of 1,000 meteorites, 998 are from asteroids, one is from the moon and the other one is from Mars. Dhofar 1673. Petrography: (A. Photo credit: unknown NWA 5151 (70 g). g. Edges, corners, rough surfaces, and any protuberances are the first parts to ablate away. J. , Irving A. Louis Mesosiderites are stony-iron meteorites that are impact mixtures (breccias) composed of silicate minerals from a differentiated meteorite like a eucrite and FeNi metal from an iron meteorite. back to “Some Meteorite Realities” ©2025 Washington University in St. LOUIS — The Orionids, one of the year's most beautiful and vivid meteor showers, will light up the sky this weekend in St. . Photo credit: Matthew Stream Fragments from the 2-4-mm grain-size-fraction of Apollo 11 soil sample 10085. , Mikouchi T. Scratch test. In a crater, material is ballistically ejected from the cavity, not just pushed aside. If The St. 2-7. It is often not possible to determine whether a rock is a meteorite simply from its appearance, ©2025 Washington University in St. ” There are no whole-rock compositional data for any of these meteorites. All the photos below were sent to me by persons inquiring if the object in the photo was a meteorite. ©2025 Washington University in History: The meteorite was purchased from a dealer in Rio de Oro, Morocco. The “cube” that remains will have no edges or points. However, unlike most moraines, Meteorite Moraine contains a rather high proportion of meteorites. You are not gong to find a meteorite in a river or stream. I have not studied Northwest Africa 16286. The fusion crust has completely been removed by wind-blown sand. Fig. 5 kg was found in September 1999 by an anonymous finder in front of a sand dune within the Kalahari desert, roughly 50 m apart from Kalahari 008. Gao, Mali Find: 2019 December Mass: 57. 6, 6. Photo credit: Randy Korotev Small fragments of Sikhote-Alin from The Meteoritical Bulletin, no. edu ©2025 Most (~88%) stony meteorites are ordinary chondrites. They are all accompanied by words like “THE WORLD’S OUTSTANDING MOST Lunar meteorite (troctolite) History: The meteorite was purchased from a group of meteorites hunters in Nouadhibou, Mauritania in May, 2021. , Korotev R. Basaltic meteorites do occur but they do not have such high concentrations of Na 2 O and K 2 O as the rock of Table 1. Zufar, Oman Found: 2009 March Mass: 42. Physical Characteristics: Single stone with a sandblasted exterior lacking fusion crust but showing numerous prominent regmaglypt pits. 61%, is at least 100 times that Wow, here’s your chance at an incredibly rare lunar basalt meteorite, this space rock was found in Weston Connecticut back in the 50’s by my Grandfather. Lunar meteorite (anorthositic troctolite) History: This meteorite was found by Sahrawi meteorite hunters in northern Mauritania, approximately 14 kilometers north of Chegga. Quartz, calcite, magnetite, and hematite in meteorites. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII, abstract no. ©2025 Washington Three chemical elements are naturally radioactive and occur in all earth rocks and all meteorites – K (potassium), Th (thorium), and U (uranium). All of the photos below were sent to me by persons who thought the rocks were meteorites. sciencedaily. " ScienceDaily. Strickland, UAb) Dominated by ferroan anorthosite and less frequent gabbroic clasts embedded in two distinct matrices. 0-kg main mass of Northwest Africa 15368. and Kallemeyn G. Note the dark fusion crust, unlike those on feldspathic lunar meteorites. (2006) Crystallization of lunar basaltic meteorites Northwest Africa 032 and 479: Preservation of the parent melt composition and relationship to LAP 02205. Louis Fake meteorites Since 2004, a man from Sweden has sent me more than 10,000 pictures like these of rocks he claims to be from the Moon. Louis Lewis Cliff 88023, an ungrouped iron meteorite, is the flattest meteorite that I have seen. Here are photos of a meteorite named Saint-Pierre-le-Viger (L5-6 chondrite) that fell in France on February 13, 2023. Physical characteristics: A single 47. Northwest Africa 11474 (northwestern Africa) Purchased: 2017 May 10 Mass: 586 g (many pieces) Lunar Meteorite. There are many labs around the world that can provide such tests. Francois County, has been in our Department collection for many years. , and Bunch T. 7-g slice of Northwest Africa 14729. Louis On the left is a photo that a cotton farmer in west Texas sent me. Physical Characteristics: Three large identical appearing stones found together. Photo credit: NASA/JSC Two views of tiny QUE 94269, which was found a year after QUE 93069. The largest second largest 356 g fragment was subsequently acquired by Luca Cableri. Sheikh, Cascadia) Sample is a polymict breccia comprised of mm-sized lithic Meteorites do not easily scratch glass. 112. 1950. Adam Aaronson purchased the samples in Temara in 2021. Most iron ore deposits consist mainly of hematite, magnetite, or both. Despite that the clan as a whole is relatively mafic (8. 106 Northwest Africa 11182 (NWA 11182) (Northwestern Africa) Purchased: 2017 Mass: 60 g (1 piece) Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased by Ruben Garcia from Said Haddany in Tucson, 2017. (1990) Lunar meteorite MAC88104/5: Petrography and glass compositions. Louis Meteorite impacts usually, at worst, make a divot. Northeast Africa 039 (NEA 039) Libya Purchased: 2023 March Mass: 1536 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (basalt) History: Found in Libya and purchased by Mark Lyon in March 2023 from a dealer in Zagora, Morocco and now co-owner by Mark Lyon, Steve Jurvetson and Brian Caress. In particular, look at these photos of meteorite fusion crusts: fusion crust ©2025 Washington University in St. Greshake, MNB ) The meteorite is a breccia composed of up to 3 mm sized mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, low-Ca-pyroxene, and augite Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 17060. Physical characteristics: Many visually identical appearing pieces, ranging from several kilograms to sub-gram fragments. 00 a gram and on ebay it from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. None of these rocks is a meteorite and none has a fusion crust. Petrography: (Ansgar Greshake, MNB ) Breccia composed of up to 7 mm angular to subrounded mineral clasts of calcic plagioclase, olivine, patchily zoned pigeonite, and augite, plus impact melt clasts set The meteorite is a breccia, with light gray clasts in a dark matrix. 10. Meteoritics & Planetary Science52, 1251-1256. Physical characteristics: Two identically appearing stones (670 and 600 g) found together at the Gadamis 002 site. Impact breccias are fractal objects – they look the same regardless of the scale at which you look at them. Interior is almost black. The mysterious orb you find in your backyard that wasn't there just the day before has to be a meteorite, right? Wrong. Moldavites, which are tektites, not meteorites, can also be green. Hematite and magnetite are two common iron-oxide minerals. From the Self-Test flowchart. Louis meteorite is a “fall” meteorite. Photo credit: Carrie Seniw. W. Physical characteristics: Sample contains minor fusion crust. Louis is an ordinary chondrite that fell in St. Below are photos of some larger or unusual meteorites that are in the collection or that we have classified and are now at other institutions. None of them are meteorites. Physical characteristics: Single stone consisting of approximately 50% green-brown, fine-grained basalt and 50% brecciated from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. Northwest Africa 13408 (NWA 13408) Algeria Find: 2018 Mass: 2000 g (12 pieces) Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased in 2020 by Matthew Stream from Said Bachir in Algeria. Some grey silicates and white plagioclase clasts are visible in the exposed surface. At this time (June, 2021), this meteorite is the only brecciated meteorite from Mars. Although for convenience I sometimes state here that the minerals quartz, calcite, magnetite and hematite do not occur in meteorites, these statements are not entirely true. The clasts have a large range in size. 141°W near Tijirit, Mauritania about 37 km east of the well-known Tasiast gold mine. Northwest Africa 8046 (NWA 8046) (Northwest Africa) Purchased: 2012 Dec Mass: 47. L. Physical Characteristics: Desert weathered exterior. All the rusty spots in the melt breccia are iron-nickel metal grains. Fusion crusts on achondrites are not as dark as those on chondrites. Northwest Africa 10495 (NWA 10495) Morocco Purchased: 2015 Mass: 15. 10). Louis, Missouri, United States; Precise Recovery Location: (38. Palme H. All iridium (Ir, values in parts-per-billion = ng/g) in lunar meteorites derives from asteroidal meteorites (e. On the left, below, is a photograph of a sawn face of lunar meteorite NWA 5000, about 12 cm high and 8 cm wide. Morocco Find: 2016 April Mass: 156 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: One piece of 156 g was found April 2016 near Aoufous in Morocco. 100. Achernar and Lewis Cliff, the collection site of the Lewis Cliff (LEW) meteorites. 59. Man-made iron metals, e. Other minerals are pyroxene and plagioclase, accessory chromite and ilmenite (to 200 µm), minor troilite (100 µm) and Proceedings of the NIPR Symposium on Antarctic Meteorites 4, 70-90. At a minimum, I need “whole-rock” data for the major rock-forming elements: Na 2 O, MgO, Al 2 O (2) A meteorite in a stream bed would have had its fusion crust worn off by abrasion against other rocks. Louis, MO 63130-4899 Korotev is mainly interested in the impact history of the Moon, how the Moon’s surface has been affected by meteorite impacts, and the nature of the early lunar crust. It fell in Russia in 1947, so it is not weathered. H. in 2023. When I got it Bottom line: A meteorite found in a farmer’s field in 2006 is worth up to $850,000, scientists including Randy Korotev at Washington University in St. I have looked for the whitist meteorite that I could find. Another meteorite from Northwest Africa that has lost its fusion crust completely from wind erosion. Yamato 791197 (Y-791197) Yamato Mountains, Antarctica Found: 1979 November 20 Mass: 52. It is mineralogically and texturally unique among feldspathic lunar meteorites. Or, if it is, nobody can identify it as a meteorite just by looking at it (but, read about Monticello, below). , NWA 5000) metal grains can be seen on a sawn face or as rusty spots. Northwest Africa (NWA) 7475, one of the several NWA 7034 pairs. Overwhelmingly the chances are it's a meteorwrong, says Randy Korotev, Ph. Petrography: (H. Bechar, Algeria Found: 2021 Mass: 897 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Found December 2021 in Algeria near Mechraa Houari Bou; Meteorites give no streak or a weak grayish streak, but only if you press hard. 41 kg (many pieces) Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Beginning in December 2019 many similar dark Lunar meteorite (fragmental breccia) History: Three stones, 12. Louis The Yamato 82192 clan is a typical feldspathic lunar meteorite, but one that is richer in sodium (1. If the rock hits the ground, then it is a meteorite. 106. The Image credit: Meteorites-For-Sale. Louis Lunar meteorite (feldspathic impact melt breccia) History: This meteorite was discovered by an anonymous finder on a limestone plateau in the Dhofar region of Sultanate of Oman, far from other known lunar meteorites. 107. this meteorite is massive at 8. 649°N, 15. Experienced meteorite hunters do not look for meteorites in stream beds or along beaches . 10, 1950. Petrography: (J. Carpenter, WUSL ) Breccia dominated All of these photos below were sent to me by persons who thought that the rock might be a meteorite. Even this small, unnamed meteorite (on the ice in Antarctica) has regmaglypts. History: Purchased by Dustin Dickens and Mendy Ouzillou from a Mauritanian meteorite dealer May 10, 2017. Exterior is desert weathered and light brown in color, with no fusion crust present. The rock, which is a meteorite (Seminole (f), an H chondrite), has a fusion crust (smooth and shiny); the smiley-face thing is a magnet. The stones have a light green sand-blasted Proceedings of NIPR Symposium on Antarctic Meteorites 4, 70-90. Physical Characteristics: It has a complete fusion crust, the interior shows a microbreccia with white angular clasts in a Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Nomads discovered black samples that did not correspond to the landscape of the area, marked coordinates and picked them up thinking they were possibly meteorites. Petrography : (A. Louis meteorite, a stony meteorite, fell through the roof of a convertible driving down Florissant Avenue on Dec. , wrought iron, cast iron and dome steels, however, also strongly attract a cheap magnet. Iron-oxide concretions, iron-oxide nodules, and ironstones are often mistaken for meteorites because they are heavy (dense) and their unusual (frequently bizarre!) Petrography: The meteorite displays a dark brownish interior and is a breccia composed of up to 1 cm sized basaltic and few impact melt clasts set into a fine-grained related and partly shock melted mineral matrix. Photo credit: Stefan Ralew Northwest Africa 4898 (137 g). Photo credit: Matthew Stream Sawn face of Northwest Africa 16249. 3 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased by Michael Hankey in December 2012 from a dealer in Zagora, Morocco. Physical Characteristics: Two pieces with minor fusion crust. For small meteoroids, 90% of the mass is lost to ablation as they come through Earth’s atmosphere. None of these rocks are meteorites – none has a fusion crust and none of the depressions are meteorite regmaglypts. Meteorite scientists do not usually touch meteorites with their bare Two sides of a 2. Note the large clast sizes. Specimen 1153 has a CaO/Al 2 O 3 of 0. Physical characteristics: Many identical appearing pieces, no fusion crust. Like all glacial moraines, Meteorite Moraine contains a variety of rock types. More Information. The meteorite is a crystalline basalt. On surface ~5 mm rounded, Northwest Africa 2995 (538 g). 8 g from a Moroccan dealer. The main mineral is olivine. The Great Salt Lake meteorite found in 2022. Louis These things are not meteorites. Iron meteorites are alloys of iron and nickel that containing 5-30% nickel. Specimens: 30. Ntaflos, University of Vienna): fusion crust is absent. LAP is a basalt. Meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere at speeds typically of 12-40 km/s (27,000-90,000 mph) relative to the Earth. Korotev. edu ©2024 Washington University in History: The meteorite was purchased from a dealer in Mauritania. Our Department does not have an extensive collection of meteorites. More photos of most of these meteorites can be seen by clicking on the meteorite name in the figure caption. Photo credit: unknown NWA 4503. Louis Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased in Mali by Dustin Dickens from anonymous meteorite hunter. Boesenberg, BrownU) Meteorite regmaglypts are shallow, not deep like the holes in the photos below. ©2025 Washington Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Multiple complete individuals ranging in size from 1 – 800 g were found in the Western Sahara. Errachidia. Physical characteristics: Angular 5 × 4 × 3 cm stone (292 g) with shiny, reddish exposure surface and bluish-grey basal surface. There would be no way to identify it as a meteorite unless rusty metal was evident. Basalt. Most finders do not have the expertise to do the preparation or, worse, they do some horrible preparation, sometimes involving acid or a wire brush, that diminishes the value to collectors. and McKay D. , Th. Put an ice cube in water and wait for 90% to melt. Louis The meteorite on the left appears fresh, with a glassy fusion crust and contraction cracks. Ferromanganese is characterized by: High density, 7. If a rock does not have a fusion crust and does not contain iron-nickel metal, then there is no reason to suspect that it is a meteorite, regardless of what other meteorite-like features it may have. Louis I took this photo in Antarctica in 1989 at a place known as Meteorite Moraine near Mt. , Jolliff B. Proceedings of the NIPR Symposium on Antarctic Meteorites 6, 35-57. 23333) Mass: 1000 grams; Classification: H4; St. Physical Characteristics: A single partially crusted and oriented stone. When I showed it to one of my more experienced colleagues I was told, perhaps because of the unmeteorite-like shape, that it was not a meteorite. The rock is different from the Kalahari 008 anorthositic breccia. This stone was purchased from the finder in September 2022 by a meteorite dealer in northwest Africa, who then sold it to another meteorite dealer, who then sold it to Matthew Stream in December If it is a rock and you found it on a beach or in the water of an ocean or lake, then it is not a meteorite. 3 cm. Physical characteristics : Grayish rock mostly covered with black fusion crust. (1983) Antarctic meteorite ALHA 81005, a piece from the ancient lunar crust. 5 kg, Northwest Africa 5000 is one of the largest single-piece lunar meteorites. e-mail: korotev@wustl. The meteorite is an impact melt breccia with mineral fragments and lithic clasts cemented by a glassy impact melt from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 4 g/cm 3, which is perhaps the first characteristic that people notice. The St. Skip to If a meteorite has a highly frothy and vesicular fusion crust, however, it might be a lunar meteorite, but only if the rock is a regolith breccia. Bir Ounane 005. ©2024 Washington University in Antarctic Meteorites XXIX, 32-33. 34x, i. Zufar, Oman Found: 2011 January Mass: 15. Subsequently sold to a meteorite dealer on January 10, 2022, who later sold it to Jared Collins on March 10, Few lunar meteorite from northern Africa have such a complete fusion crust. Any rock from any planet will contain at least one atom of these elements so, technically, all rocks, including all meteorites, are radioactive, it is just a matter of degree. , more albitic plagioclase) than is typical. Meteorites are named after the place that they fell or were found. Some terrestrial processes lead to rocks with depressions that can look very much like meteorite regmaglypts. Meteoritical Bulletin Database. www. In the middle is an enlarged image of the portion within the yellow rectangle on the left. These rocks do not have fusion crusts. 5 pounds, nasa values these rocks at $50000. The 93 meteorites are listed in three tables below: (Table 1) observed falls (15%), (Table 2) finds by experience meteorite hunters The Cr/Sc ratio (chromium/scandium) varies considerably in lunar rocks and is a proxy for the olivine/pyroxene ratio thus troctolitic meteorites have the highest Cr/Sc. Photo credit: unknown NWA 3190 (41 g). Thanks to Richard Hagar for loan of the meteorite. Fusion crust is absent. Two lunar meteorites found in Antarctica, LaPaz Icefield (LAP) 02205 (1226 g, two views) and Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 93069 (23 g). The exact location of find is unknown but it is possibly in Algeria. Zeigler R. The main portion (~75 vol%) of the meteorite is coarse-grained, low-Ti olivine-rich basalt, showing porphyritic texture of olivine (Fo 19-73), zoned pyroxene (En 5-71 Wo 6-38), and plagioclase (An 84-92) with late-stage mesostasis containing silica, Fe-rich pyroxene and pyroxferroite, plagioclase, ilmenite, troilite, and apatite. 78 kg, purchased by Mark Lyon from a Libyan meteorite dealer in 2024. Physical characteristics: A large (5895 g) rounded, ellipsoidal dark gray stone with white clasts visible and with a beige, Lunar Meteorite (cumulate olivine gabbro with regolith breccia) [see discussion below regarding classification] Three stones of 359 g, 224 g and 50 g, totaling 633 g were sold to Marvin Killgore (SWML) by nomads who showed him the place of find on a flat dry desert plain near Dchira, Western Sahara. 102 Dhofar 1766. History: A stone of 19 g was found by an Aborigine meteorite hunter in the Millbillillie strewnfield. All Korotev data on Omani lunar meteorites. A strange stone found in the Moroccan desert was the talk of the recent Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Louis have discovered two tiny grains of silica (SiO2; the most common constituent of sand) in meteorites that fell to earth in Antarctica. Photo by Sonny Clary? During the ten years of 2014–2023, 93 meteorites were found in North America – 2 from Canada, 5 from Mexico, and 86 from the United States. Northwest Africa 17060 (NWA 17060) Mauritania Purchased: 2023 Mass: 137 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite (melt breccia) ©2025 Washington University in St. The round things are impact-melt spherules, not chondrules. Northwest Africa 10597 (NWA 10597) Morocco Purchased: 2016 Feb Mass: 350 g (1 piece) Classification: Lunar meteorite (basalt) History: Purchased by Ke Zuokai in Feb. One of the Camel Donga stones from Australia. 105. E. Physical characteristics: The specimen is a flat and rounded individual with regmaglypts exhibiting a black shiny surface with in places dull Like many lunar meteorites, QUE 94281 is a regolith breccia – lunar soil that was shock compacted into a hard rock by the impact of a meteoroid on the Moon. Because of their isotopic from NIPR Meteorite Newsletter No. A millimeter scale is Lunar meteorite (troctolitic melt breccia) History: Found in Algeria in February 2023 and purchased from the finder by Mbark Arjdal in February and May 2023. Observed fall: Yes Year fell: 1950 Country: United Only meteorites in which "glass spheres" or "glass beads" occur are listed as regolith breccias. Photo credit: Carl Agee Northwest Africa 8609. Here are photos The meteorite is an unnamed ordinary chondrite from the Sahara Desert. Wiluna District, Western Australia, Australia Found: after 1960 Mass: 19 g (1 piece) Lunar meteorite. photo credit: Mike Farmer and Jim Strope NWA 2995. eddvo fweyj ybawfmyp zlcaz ifld ksyj vddftdw fpwb khdof quuh