A Piece of Mars - Martian Meteorite

About the Item

MARTIAN STONE - NWA 14713 Lherzolitic shergottite 127 g “This 127-gram fragment of the NWA 14713 meteorite displays a green-black mottled exterior. The rock is a martian shergottite (a basalt) composed mainly of coarse grains of pyroxene as well as calcium-plagioclase glass. This glass, called maskelynite, formed from crystalline plagioclase when the specimen was blasted off the surface of Mars by an energetic collision. There are currently less than 350 known martian meteorites with an aggregate weight of only a few hundred kilograms.” Dr Alan E. Rubin, PhD Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA Ejected from Mars by an enormous impact, this extra-terrestrial rock journeyed through space before landing in the Northwest African desert. This exceptional slice has been prepared to reveal the Martian stone’s stunning mottled interior, with contrasting light and dark coloured crystals. Martian meteorites are exceedingly rare. As of today, about 175 meteorites on Earth have been classified as Martian, out of more than 50,000 known meteorites. Three quarters of these are shergottites. These truly fascinating celestial bodies appear to have crystallised surprisingly recently, perhaps around 180 million years ago, which sharply contrasts with the planet’s small size and how ancient its surface is thought to be. This phenomenon, known as the "Shergottite Age Paradox", has never been solved and remains an active area of scientific research and debate. Height: 17.14 cm (6.75 inches) Provenance: Discovered in Northwest Africa (exact coordinates unknown). Published: Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 111 (2022). ArtAncient, Extraterrestrial (2022). Petrography: (A. Ross, UNM; D. Dickens, NMMS; C. Agee, UNM) Examination of a polished microprobe mount and image analysis using ImageJ shows ~25% igneous-zoned olivine, ~35% igneous-zoned pyroxene and ~35% maskelynite, with opaques making up the remainder. Chromite, ilmenite, merrillite, and troilite were detected. Geochemistry: (A. Ross, UNM) Olivine Fa35.4±2.8 Fe/Mn=49±3, n=10; Pigeonite Fs25.7±3.2Wo9.2±2.4, Fe/Mn=29±2, n=8; augite Fs16.5±1.0Wo34.6±1.3, Fe/Mn=26±3, n=3; plagioclase An54.8±1.2Ab43.9±1.2, Or 1.3±0.2, n=5.

Dimensions:

Height: 6.86 in (17.4 cm)Width: 5.91 in (15 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)

Materials and Techniques:

Stone

Place of Origin:

North Africa

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

Approx. 180 Million y/o

Condition:

Seller Location: