Big 24kg Whole Rock From Space — NWA 17327
From the Ensisheim Show in 2024. 1cm cube for scale.
A piece was cut of for detailed analysis by Carl Agee of UNM (see below for microscope images). This singular stone is listed as being in my possession in the Meteoritical Bulletin.
It is an L6 Chondrite, that formed during our solar system's condensation into planets, but it never became part of a planet or large body itself. It is like a sedimentary time capsule from before the Earth was fully formed. The L Group is low in iron. Petrologic type 6 indicates that it has metamorphosed under conditions sufficient to homogenize all mineral compositions, but no melting has occurred.
From Agee's analysis: "Single mass, flight-oriented heat shield shape covered with mildly weathered tan to brown fusion crust. Many prominent regmaglypts are present. Saw-cut slice reveals scattered faint chondrules and fine-grained metal in a dark brown groundmass. This meteorite consists of primarily of faint, relict chondrules, and a recrystallized matrix. Ubiquitous kamacite, taenite, and troilite were observed. Accessory Cl-apatite is present as well some oxidized iron. Remanent fusion crust was encountered in backscatter electron imagery."
Big 24kg Whole Rock From Space — NWA 17327
From the Ensisheim Show in 2024. 1cm cube for scale.
A piece was cut of for detailed analysis by Carl Agee of UNM (see below for microscope images). This singular stone is listed as being in my possession in the Meteoritical Bulletin.
It is an L6 Chondrite, that formed during our solar system's condensation into planets, but it never became part of a planet or large body itself. It is like a sedimentary time capsule from before the Earth was fully formed. The L Group is low in iron. Petrologic type 6 indicates that it has metamorphosed under conditions sufficient to homogenize all mineral compositions, but no melting has occurred.
From Agee's analysis: "Single mass, flight-oriented heat shield shape covered with mildly weathered tan to brown fusion crust. Many prominent regmaglypts are present. Saw-cut slice reveals scattered faint chondrules and fine-grained metal in a dark brown groundmass. This meteorite consists of primarily of faint, relict chondrules, and a recrystallized matrix. Ubiquitous kamacite, taenite, and troilite were observed. Accessory Cl-apatite is present as well some oxidized iron. Remanent fusion crust was encountered in backscatter electron imagery."