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Nakhlites

NWA13669

Name

*click on the Name for more information

Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Martian (nakhlite)

Country

Year found

2020

Mass

139.2 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 1.02g   (2) 0.89g

History: Purchased in December 2020 by Said Yousfi from a dealer near the Morocco-Algeria border and then acquired jointly by Mendy Ouzillou and Dustin Dickens. Physical characteristics: This somewhat friable specimen was found in several pieces (total weight 139.2 g, comprising stones of 66.1 g and 21.4 g plus other smaller fragments). The two larger stones are partially covered by black fusion crust as are some of the fragments. Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) The specimen has a cumulate texture with a mean grainsize of ~1.2 mm. It is composed of zoned augite, olivine, zoned ferropigeonite (with ferrosilite rims) and plagioclase together with accessory titanomagnetite (with octahedral ilmenite exsolution lamellae), chlorapatite, pyrrhotite and intercumulus mesostasis (consisting of K-rich glass with ferropigeonite microlites plus subhedral grains of titanomagnetite and chlorapatite). Olivine contains veinlets of very fine grained, inhomogeneous Fe-rich "iddingsitic" material with oxide sums ~89 wt.%, and augite contains rare glassy melt inclusions (surrounded by radial cracks). Geochemistry: Augite (Fs22.8-37.6Wo40.5-34.9, FeO/MnO = 31-35, N = 5), olivine (Fa72.3-74.5, FeO/MnO = 47-48, N = 3), ferropigeonite (Fs56.4-61.8Wo11.6-6.5, FeO/MnO = 33-34, N = 2), ferrosilite rim (Fs70.9Wo3.0, FeO/MnO = 34), plagioclase (An34.3-37.2Or3.3-3.0, N = 2), ferropigeonite in mesostasis (Fs57.6Wo11.7, FeO/MnO = 31), titanomagnetite (TiO2 6.8 wt.%, Cr2O3 0.6 wt.%). Classification: Nakhlite. Specimens: 20.2 g including a polished mount at UWB; remainder with Mr. M. Ouzillou and Mr. D. Dickens.

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