Northwest Africa 10441 (NWA 10441)
(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: April 2015
Classification: Martian meteorite (Shergottite)
History: Purchased by team eegooblago (Brahim Tahiri, Dustin Dickens and Sean Tutorow) while on expedition in Northwest Africa and Western Sahara in April and May 2015.
Physical characteristics: Six indentical appearing stones with no fusion crust. Saw-cut surfaces show an intergranular mix of light-green pyroxene and maskelynite. Dark colored melt veins and pockets are prominent, with most showing significant vesiculation.
Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) This meteorite consists of ~50% pyroxene, ~30% maskelynite, and ~15% shock melt. Pyroxenes show igneous zoning, and some are partially melted from shock. Shock melt domains are up to 1 cm wide and many contain vesicles 1-3 mm in diameter. All plagioclase has been transformed to maskelynite. Fe-sulfide, Ti-magnetite, ilmenite, and silica observed.
Geochemistry: (C. Agee and N. Muttik, UNM) Pigeonite Fs49.5±9.2Wo15.7±3.3, Fe/Mn=36±3, n=31; augite Fs28.4±6.7Wo33.3±2.0, Fe/Mn=32±3, n=33; maskelynite An53.8±1.7Ab44.2±2.0Or2.1±0.7.
Classification: Martian (shergottite).
Specimens: 20.5 g including a probe mount on deposit at UNM, Sean Tutorow holds the main mass.