Moroccan Meteorite Specimen

Weighs - 108grams

Measures - 60mm x 40mm x 40mm

This Meteorite landed in Morocco 2006 and weighed an estimated 3 tones.

Northwest Africa 2828 (NWA 2828)

The meteorite hit Al Haggounia, in Morocco and spread over 40 Kilometres and estimated to be 20,000 years old and weathered.

The outer surface is rusty brown due to severe alteration.

Looks like a sedimentary breccia cemented by iron oxide and carbonate.

 Color changes from bluish grey to rusty brown closest to the fractures are observed. Yellow patches of sulphur (alteration) are widespread.

The rocks are significantly porous with pore sizes from several cm to hundreds of microns.

The specimen is non magnetic.

Meteorite Debate by scientists

Mineral compositions: Enstatite (En98Fs1Wo1) and plagioclase (Ab78An16Or5).

Classification: EL chondrite impact melt rock, vesicular

The Meteoritical Society web site has labelled Al Haggounia 001 as an Aubrite (enstatite achondrite)[As of November 2013].Type3  However, an Enstatite Chondrite classification [EL3?] has also been argued very forcefully. Relic chondrules, statistical expectations, and chemical-mineralogical arguments have been propounded. It is, for example, unclear how much the original impacting meteorite was spread about by the collision with the earth's atmosphere and how much has been due to subsequent transportation by the infrequent rains.

officially reclassify Al Haggounia 001 as an ¨EL3 chondrite anomalous (W3)¨, it remains in the official Meteoritical Society’s public database as an Aubrite Metiorite

 Dr. Alan Rubin of UCLA has reclassified (2016) Al Haggounia 001 as an "EL Melt-rock", and the Meteoritical Bulletin entry was updated in 2019 to reflect the new classification

We visited Morocco in 2017 and visited areas where meteorites were found, but they were extremely difficult to find. In several hours we only found one small meteorite. Two images enclosed when we went fossicking for meteorites.

Please copy and paste link to view our trip and recommend you add to your bucket list fossil tours!

https://www.gemrockauctions.com/learn/did-you-know/fossil-safari-dinosaurs-and-fossil-hunting-in-morocco