Nogoya: Cosmic Coal? " - it must be admitted that there

Meteorite Times Magazine
Contents
by Editor
Featured Monthly Articles
Accretion Desk by Martin Horejsi
Jim's Fragments by Jim Tobin
Meteorite Market Trends by Michael Blood
Bob's Findings by Robert Verish
IMCA Insights by The IMCA Team
Micro Visions by John Kashuba
Meteorite Calendar by Anne Black
Meteorite of the Month by Editor
Tektite of the Month by Editor
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Meteorite Times Magazine
Nogoya: Cosmic Coal? ” – it must be admitted that there is a large
array of arguments in favor of the existence of extraterrestrial life.”
by Martin Horejsi
A June 1879 Witnessed Fall: Nogoya, Argentina
Nogoya: Cosmic Coal?
" - it must be admitted that there is a large array of
arguments in favor of the existence of extraterrestrial life."
Black gold!
While beauty is in the eye of the educated, Nogoya's ancestors may have
seeded the earth with the chemicals needed to speed the evolution of life
into something that could appreciate the beauty in a black lump of rock
from space.
Many years ago, I fell in love with a picture of a meteorite. The stone was highlighted in the collection
catalog of Robert Haag, and came from an exchange he did with the National Museum in Argentina. At the
time, the stone was so exotic in its rarity, class, age, and size that I never imagined such a piece would
ever be in my collection. Or in anyone's collection for that matter.
Pictured below is the cover of the 10th anniversary catalog of the meteorite collection of Robert A. Haag.
Published in 1992, it was a portal into another collecting universe that seemed surreal if not a fantasy land
for the budding meteorite collector. One of the specimens Robert highlighted was his piece of Nogoya,
Argentina.
As dark as Nogoya looks, it is actually filled with brightness. Millions of
cosmic inclusions dot the cut face exposing to daylight what could have
been the precursors of life on earth.
The Natural History Museum (London) online database lists 193 CM meteorites known. Refining the
search to only witnessed falls, 16 emerge. Nogoya is the second witnessed CM fall after the Cold
Bokkeveld, a CM2 that fell in 1838. The namesake of the CM stones is Mighei, a Ukrainian meteorite that
fell a decade after Nogoya in 1889. One other CM fell in the 1800s and that was Nawapali, India.
Interestingly, of the 16 CM meteorites witnessed to fall, half of them fell in the two months of June and
September, and and almost three quarters of the total known CM falls are accounted for if you add April to
this calendar.
Gazing into a polished face of Nogoya is like staring into space through a
telescope. Everywhere you look there are interesting features. Little
galaxies, nebulas, constellations, planets, suns and moons orbit the stone.
Moons? Yes. Notice the "strings" of tiny dots visible here, and above in the
lower right of the larger image.
An inverted image of Nogoya turns a dark carbonaceous chondrite into a
potential Aubrite.
In an 1965 article titled Free Organic Radicals in the Mighei and Nogoya Meteorites, by Duchesne, et. al.,
the scientists "studied electronic paramagnetic resonance signals, linked to the free organic radicals."
You can enjoy the details here by reading the article yourself, but what struck me most was the
suggestion that the similarity of carbonaceous chondrites to coal "gives a supplementary proof for the
assumption that an extra-terrestrial biogenic activity exists."
Crust from Heaven!
Every time I view the crust on Nogoya, it takes my breath away.
As fresh as the day it fell, the thick flow lines are a stunning reminder of the
violent temperatures meteorites must endure in order to reach us.
The specimen number from the Robert A. Haag meteorite collection is
almost blindly bright given the extreme contrast between the matrix of
Nogoya and the paint Bob used.
A specimen card from Robert A. Haag, who traded this out of the National
Museum in Argentina-something that will probably never happen again.
Entering this specimen of Nogoya into my collection was an honor that I take seriously. Given that Nogoya
appears from time to time for sale in small sizes for upwards of $700/g, sometimes I let my mind wander..
Not that the market could absorb 50-75 one-gram or multi-gram pieces of Nogoya at that price--nor would
I ever let that happen, but it's always fun to run the calculations. In this case the theoretical value of this
specimen lands a little shy of $80,000. Rediculous, I know. But if you want to offer $50k for it, give me a
call.
Until next time….
The Accretion Desk welcomes all comments and feedback. accretiondesk@gmail.com
Meteorite Times Magazine
Garage Make Over
by Jim Tobin
This month I undertake a long postponed task of getting my lapidary workshop organized. I had to move
the large saw from my father’s garage to my garage. It seemed like a great time to begin getting the other
equipment set up and placed permanently. The last time the vibrating lap was up and running was about
five years ago. It finds its use in the near optically perfect surfaces we put on large Muong Nong layered
tektites. We have a lot of really large individuals of Thailand tektite to use it on. We also have some slices
that were taken off for research by Darryl Futrell. They should be really wonderful when lapped and
polished. However, it is a very long process involving an extremely clean environment. Something I have
not had . Hopefully I will after this makeover.
So I unbolted the Highland Park combination saw that had been at my father’s for nearly fifty years and will
clear some bench space at my garage for it. But, I decided that I would plumb the water to it and put in a
better drain then dad had. So a water purification system is now getting set up in the garage. I have
needed a source of chlorine free water for a long time. This will set me free from using distilled and
purified water in bottles.
Well, it is not very clean in this photo from before it was moved. But, it is being cleaned and repainted and
readied for another fifty years of service. Highland park was a well made machine.
I have been a little concerned that soon I would be having trouble keeping all the material we have to cut
organized and together as its going through all the stages of work. I am sure there are dealers with literally
tons of material stored to cut. They must have a real problem with keeping it all separated and labeled.
We are at the point that I need to think seriously about keeping things organized. I am going to take a
lesson from Paul’s pharmacy work and set up processing areas where the material can move from stage
to stage in plastic containers.
At the end of the workflow will be an area now for weighing and bagging the final product. There will be an
area for cleaning and preparation at the front end. I am thinking that rather then set up an area in my
already crowded home office for photography I should convert my defunct darkroom into a digital photo
studio. I have already given away the two enlargers and all the developing trays and grain focusers and
almost everything else. I actually only kept the antique contact printer and the glass negatives I had
collected. It is a nice little room built in my garage with a counter that I can put a photo booth on with great
lighting. It has been our goal to move some of the specimen photograph responsibilities to me. When I
have finished with the lapidary work I can immediately take the photos for the online store. I am going to
weight them and bag them anyway. I think I’ll put a computer out there to do all the image work on.
It is inevitable when you are cutting that you will generate some pieces that are just too small to really do
much with. And many of the NWA meteorites are quite cracked and fall into pieces that are small as they
are being sliced. They are not high value meteorites so I have been thinking that when I retire I would get
back into making silver jewelry using some of those meteorite pieces. All my childhood cab making
equipment will be over at my garage now so I can do that. I have stayed in practice with silversmithing
over the years doing a few contract pieces and making some items for fun each year. I am looking
forward to doing meteorite jewelry. I moved from jewelry to antique clock repair about thirty years ago and
have a few clocks out in the garage that I have never gotten around to. I may just put them away for a few
more years. We have plenty of clocks in the house already and I have given away enough for a while. The
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show conflicts with the big Los Angeles antique clock show every year. As a
result I have been out of the clock club loop for years anyway.
Its interesting how lives twist and turn around and how decisions we make lead down new avenues which
eventually determine the place we end up. I could easily have stayed a jeweler/silversmith, or been a
college professor. But, either of those directions would have taken me somewhere else entirely. It was
tough being in business with all its difficulties. Yet I have my family and my friends of today that I would
never have had.
The Highland Park combination saw is only 10 inches and it uses a full thickness 0.040 blade. But, I only
make the initial cuts on large meteorites with it. All the rest of the cutting is done with thin blades. The
grinders and sanders will not find much use in specimen preparation. All of that will be done on the
diamond laps. But, the grinders and sanders will be invaluable in the making of the stones for jewelry. I
might even break done and get an actual dop wax melting pot and give up using a candle after fifty years. I
know there are individuals that consider the use of meteorites in jewelry somehow disrespectful to the
material’s origin and rarity. Yet, much of the NWA material that has totally lost its iron to weathering and is
cracked up and falling apart would be unappreciated. It can be enjoyed as jewelry and used to promote
meteorite understanding in the public sector, preserving material that would otherwise never be seen or
enjoyed at all.
I have a few pieces of meteorite jewelry that I have made. I wear them occasionally. I think I am interested
in making items to sell more right now. I have casting equipment and a kiln in addition to all the regular
jewelry tools. So I might expand the work to some other things I have wanted to do. I think it is going to be
great fun working will gold and silver again. I will leave some room in the garage for my wife to do her stain
glass and jewelry work as well. Now, all I have to do is make it to retirement with enough energy left to do
these things.
Until next month enjoy.
Meteorite-Times Magazine
Meteorite Market Trends
by Michael Blood
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Meteorite Times Magazine
Pennsylvania Meteorites
by Robert Verish
Pennsylvania Meteorites in the mineral collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Since 1941 there have been a total of eight Pennsylvania (PA) meteorites - five irons (all finds)and three Lchondrites (all falls), according to the Meteoritical Bulletin Database. Three (3) of these "PA meteorites"
are in the in the mineral collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH)in Pittsburgh, PA:
The Bradford Woods (L-chondrite) - the 762g main mass of the 1886 "fall",
The Shrewsbury (Iron, IAB-sLL) - a 200g etched slice from the 12kg mass of the 1907 find,
The Bald Eagle (Iron, IIIAB) - actually, not the 3.2kg mass, but a resin-cast replica of the 1891 "footshaped" find.
So, technically there are two (2) "PA meteorite" specimens physically present in the CMNH Collection,
plus one (1) cast and mold of a third.
Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Carnegie Museum while on a trip to Pittsburgh. Although the
dinosaur exhibits are world renowned, the main attraction for me was the Hillman Hall of Minerals and
Gems. Ever since the early 1980's this continually evolving mineral display has been regarded as one of
the finest exhibits in the United States. And it is quite extensive in size. So, if you ever get the opportunity
to visit this display, give yourself plenty of time to see everything.
This image of the Hillman Hall of Minerals
and Gems is of the entrance and was taken October 2010. (You can click on the above image for more
information about the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems.)
But I didn't see even one meteorite in the entire exhibit. Although I didn't look at every mineral in the
numerous display cases, I'm sure that I didn't see any meteorites.
I know that the Carnegie Museum has meteorites. I can still remember when I was a child there was this
huge iron meteorite that all us kids could touch and make us wonder about outer space. (Later, I was to
learn that the "huge iron" was a Canyon Diablo, and that it was relegated to the basement storage room
years ago. I was granted access to see it, and after all of these decades, I was reunited with the first
meteorite that I ever touched [See IMAGE] - my shoes [at the bottom of the image] gives some idea of this
iron's size.)
What makes the lack of meteorites on display more confounding is that back in 1987 thru 1988 the
Hillman Foundation funded a special exhibition titled "Pennsylvania Meteorites" in their Mineral & Gem Hall
at the Carnegie Museum. The current curator went to great lengths to get all 6 of the other PA meteorites
"on-loan" from various museums and universities. Those funds also provided for that curator to publish an
informational handout. I still have a copy of that well-written, educational brochure from that exhibition. I'm
still trying to get permission to publish a ".PDF" file version of that handout, but in the meantime, here is a
link to a web page that has all of the images and information that was contained in the original brochure.
In one of the current displays that was titled "Native Element Minerals", I thought I had finally found some
meteorites when I saw specimens labeled as "Iron-Greenland" and "Iron-Russia". But these turned-out to
be terrestrial native iron specimens from Disko Island Greenland, and from Ozervoe Intrusion, Sibera,
Russia. I wonder how many other people mistakenly thought these rare mineral locality specimens were
meteorites?
This image taken in the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
depicts a specimen of "native iron", and is NOT a meteorite. (You can click on the above image in order to
ENLARGE.)
I stopped a "Staff" person and asked if there were any meteorites on display, and they very apologetically
told me, "No." They must get this question asked of them very often, because they appeared to be
genuinely apologetic to give me this bad news. They informed me that the Museum does, indeed, have
meteorites, but they were stored down in the basement. I was given directions as how to contact the
curator.
According to the World Directory of Mineral Collections (Third Edition)there are 20,743 specimens in the
CMNH collection. This number has definitely increased, because on the day that I visited the Museum, the
tables in the curator's office were covered with donated mineral specimens that were in the process of
being cataloged, and another donated collection was waiting to be accessioned.
The CMNH Mineral Collection is blessed by having a husband and wife team as curators, Marc L. Wilson
and his wife Deb. Although they were very busy cataloging new mineral specimens, they were very
obliging when I requested an appointment to view the meteorites in their mineral collection. They invited
me immediately into their collection room and took time to bring-out from their cabinets any meteorite that
I desired to take images.
Including the two PA Meteorites, there were a total of thirty-two (32) meteorite specimens:
ten (10) irons, and two (2) stony-irons, and ten (10) stonys [seven (7) O.C., two (2) Allende (CV3), and
one (1) Zagami (shergottite)].
Marc Wilson, and his wife Deb, are the curators of this
mineral collection. Here is Marc bringing out from the storage cabinet a cut Allende individual for me to
take a picture. (You can click on the above image in order to ENLARGE.)
I took images of the two PA meteorites, and the mold & cast of The Bald Eagle, and any other meteorite in
the collection that had a mass of more than 100grams. [See Image Gallery below.] The lighting conditions
in the basement storage area were very poor for photographic purposes, so I had to devise a "light-box"
out of two desk lamps, a plastic crate, and a white garbage bag. I apologize to Marc and the Carnegie
Museum, if the image quality is below standards.
While taking images, I casually broached the subject of "why there were no meteorites on display in the
museum?" And Marc replied that "no one person gets to decide unilaterally which mineral specimens get
to be displayed. It's done more by committee." He had to admit, somewhat apologetically, that there may
have been a perception developed over the years, rightly or wrongly, that the "public wasn't all that
interested in meteorites"! He couldn't justify this "perception" but he thought that it went all the way back to
1988 and the "Pennsylvania Meteorite" Exhibition, and possibly the attendance figures at that time may
have been below expectations. I assured Marc that would not be the case now, and that the public's
interest in meteorites has been at an all-time high, probably ever since 1996. And I offered to Marc the loan
of my Los Angeles Mars-rock meteorite, should he want to exhibit some "Rocks from Mars and the Moon",
and I assured him there would be many other collector/dealers that could match my offer. (Almost
guaranteed there would be an increase in museum attendance, if the exhibit were to coincide with NASA's
next announcement about Mars.)
Time went by quickly and I didn't get to photograph every meteorite in the Carnegie Museum collection, but
I did accomplish my mission.
Plan well your visit to the CMNH and give
adequate time to view all of the many great displays and exhibits. (You can click on the above image in
order to ENLARGE.)
In conclusion, I would like to thank the Carnegie Museum of Natural History mineral collection curators,
Deb and Marc Wilson, for taking time from their busy schedule and in helping me take images of the
meteorites stored in their collection. Hopefully the time will soon come again when the general public can
see these "visitors from space" first-hand.
Bob's Findings Article for June 2011 - Gallery of Images: Pennsylvania Meteorites - in the Carnegie
Museum of Natural History
The Bradford Woods Meteorite. (You can
click on the above image in order to ENLARGE.)
More images of "The Bradford Woods" stone in the CMNH Collection:
The side showing ?"19330"?
The side showing the "21333" CM No.
A view of the "bottom"-side
A view of the cut corner showing fresh interior
Another view of the "top"-side
mis-labeled as "Achondrite"
Actually an L-chondrite from Marshall Township in "Allegheny County"
The Shrewsbury Iron Meteorite. (You can click on the
above image in order to ENLARGE.)
More images of "The Shrewsbury" slice in the CMNH Collection:
The "label"-side
The "top"-side
Another view of the "top"-side
A close-up view of the label
A close-up view of the kamacite-bands
Another view of the "bottom"-side
The mold from which The Bald Eagle Iron
Meteorite "replica" was cast. (You can click on the above image in order to ENLARGE.)
More images of "The Bald Eagle" replica in the CMNH Collection:
A resin-cast replica of the "foot"-shaped iron meteorite
A great "side-view" of the resin-cast replica
Another view of the"top"-side of the resin-cast replica
A close-up view of the "mold" from which the replica was cast
Another view in incandescent light of the "top"-side of the resin-cast replica
References:
Link to the Meteoritics & Planetary Science (M&PS) website for their:
Meteoritical Bulletin Database with a great search engine for formally-named meteorites...
Wikipedia - image of:
Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
List of all "Pennsylvania" meteorites in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php
Name
Status Fall Year Place
Bald Eagle
Official
Type
Mass
1891 Pennsylvania, USA Iron, IIIAB
3.2 kg
Black Moshannan Park Official Y
1941 Pennsylvania, USA L5
705 g
Bradford Woods
Official Y
1886 Pennsylvania, USA L
762 g
Chicora
Official Y
1938 Pennsylvania, USA LL6
303 g
Mount Joy
Official
1887 Pennsylvania, USA Iron, IIAB
384 kg
New Baltimore
Official
1922 Pennsylvania, USA Iron, ungrouped 20 kg
Pittsburg
Official
1850 Pennsylvania, USA Iron, IAB-MG
600 g
Shrewsbury
Official
1907 Pennsylvania, USA Iron, IAB-sLL
12 kg
Direct link to this table
Link to the Open Library website - an initiative of the Internet Archive:
Meteorites found in Pennsylvania — General Geology Report G-2. (1967) Harrisburg: Pennsylvania
Geological Survey. (552.6 S87)
Another link to Report for subscribers to DCNR:
Meteorites found in Pennsylvania - General Geology Report G-2. (1967) Harrisburg: Pennsylvania
Geological Survey. (552.6 S87).
Stone, Ralph W., Eileen, M. Starr.
My previous articles can be found *HERE*
For for more information, please contact me by email: Bolide*chaser
Meteorite Times Magazine
IMCA Insights – June 2011
by IMCA TEAM
IMCA Insights – June 2011
A recent meteorite fall in the village of Sołtmany, Poland
by Andrzej S. Pilski
In a farm along a picturesque lake in the Mazurkas region of Poland, the owner woke up and opened a
window, then suddenly she heard a whistling noise followed by a loud bang and crash as if the house had
been crashed into. She ran out to the yard followed by her son. They saw fragments of the roof from a
nearby shed hanging over the shed's door and pieces lying on the ground in front of the door. Then they
noticed a hole in one of roof boards over the door.
A hole in the roof (Photo by Roman Rzepka)
Looking around, the farmer spotted a black stone and picked it up. The stone felt slightly warmer than a
common stone. She held it for a while, then put it back onto the ground and went back home. She looked
at the clock and saw that the local time was 6:06 am; it was the morning of April 30, 2011.
The black, broken stone (Photo by Roman Rzepka)
Later her daughter said that it must be a meteorite. They went back to the spot, picked up the stone, took
it home and collected other fragments they found in the yard. Then the farmer called a local newspaper in
the nearby town of Giżycko. The editor contacted his friend meteorite collector, Mr. Roman Rzepka, who
was asked to go to the farm and see if it was really a meteorite. He did so the next day and confirmed the
meteoritic origin of the stone. He also took some photos and after returning home he called the author.
Nearly all the fragments of the stone (Photo by Roman Rzepka)
Unfortunately I could not leave my work at the Planetarium because of the crowd of visitors during the
holidays. I called my friends known to the meteorite community as Wadi and Woreczko and asked for
their help. They were visiting their family at the opposite end of Poland, however they decided to risk
becoming unpopular with their family and crossed the whole country to go examine the fall. On their way
they visited me and I gave them a copy of my book on meteorites signed for the finder. As the book started
with the story of the Baszkówka fall, I hoped the finder would learn about the importance of the fall she had
witnessed. Later it turned out however she drew a different conclusion than what I had hoped for.
Determining the direction of the fall (Photo by Jan Woreczko)
In the afternoon of May 2 Wadi and Woreczko arrived in the town of Giżycko, met Mr. Rzepka and then
together they visited the farm to gather more detailed information and get some samples for examination
in laboratories. The owner was not willing to give any piece for scientific examination. Instead she kindly
agreed to sell some fragments at a relatively low price. In the following days she changed her mind and I
received a rude call from her. She said she was cheated by the people I recommended, and demanded
an additional payment to match her new updated price, a price that had gone up to about 20 times the
original price during the last few days. That is why I never visited the farm and do not mention her name
here. The detailed report by Wadi and Woreczko (in Polish) may be seen here.
The samples were sent to Dr. Tadeusz Przylibski, professor in the Technical University in Wrocław,
Poland, known for his papers on Baszkówka and Zakłodzie published in M&PS. He asked Marcin Cimała
to cut samples for thin sections and this is why Marcin had the opportunity to send detailed images of the
new fall to the Meteorite mailing list.
A slice of the new fall - close-up view (Photo by Marcin Cimała)
Just by looking at the pictures, it should be clear to every experienced collector that this was most
probably an L6 chondrite. However a classification by experienced eye method is not accepted by the
Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society. So thin sections were prepared and Dr. Łukasz
Karwowski, professor in the University of Silesia, known for having classified the previous Polish meteorite
find, Święcany, took the thin sections to a microprobe, and his findings confirmed the experienced eye
classification, but it was not all that obvious.
The new fall on a diagram Fa versus Fs
An ordinary chondrite group may be determined with the help of the fayalite (Fa) content in olivine and the
ferrosilite (Fs) content in pyroxene; one can see on the diagram to which group an ordinary chondrite
belongs. However this recent fall is situated on edge of the L field, close to the LL area. So there remained
a possibility that it could belong to the L/LL group just like Holbrook, the cobalt content in the kamacite was
measured to resolve that. The content was much lower than in Holbrook, and is typical for L chondrites.
So the new fall was submitted to the NomCom of the Meteoritical Society as an L chondrite with the
suggested name of Sołtmany like the village where the farm hit by the meteorite is located.
A barred olivine chondrule - thin section view (Photo by Łukasz
Karwowski)
A petrographic type may be determined after detailed examination of a thin-section under a petrographic
microscope. On the photo one can see that a barred olivine chondrule is still visible, but it is hard to
determine the boundary between the chondrule and the matrix, as it is diffuse. The boundary is even
harder to see on the next photo. This suggests a petrographic type 6, and that is confirmed by the well
recrystallized matrix containing relatively large plagioclase grains.
A 2 mm olivine chondrule seems to be rimmed (Photo by
Łukasz Karwowski)
For a fresh fall, measuring the short-lived cosmogenic isotopes is one of most important things to do. To
find quickly a good laboratory I asked Norbert Classen for advice. Norbert directed me to professor Addi
Bischoff, who had examined the recent Jesenice fall in Slovenia, and he suggested that I asked the Gran
Sasso laboratory (Italy), where a piece of Jesenice had been examined. They kindly agreed and a sizable
fragment of the Sołtmany fall is already there under examination. Results of the ongoing examinations will
be displayed in form of a poster during this year's meeting of the Meteoritical Society in Greenwich (UK).
If an English speaking person would like to pronounce correctly the name Sołtmany, which was submitted
to the NomCom as the suggested name for this new meteorite, please try to say "salt" and "money" with
no pause in between. Or just ask Marcin Cimała during the upcoming Ensisheim Show.
This article has been edited by Anne Black and Norbert Classen
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Meteorite Times Magazine
NWA 6704 – A New Ungrouped Achondrite
by John Kashuba
Greg Hupé tells about his new ungrouped achondrite in this issue of Meteorite-Times so this is a good
time to show close up pictures of it. Dr. Tony Irving did the classification and we learned about this stone
from his Meteoritical Bulletin writeup, an abstract and phone conversations. NWA 6704 and, evidently, at
least one pairing are from a previously unknown parent body. Oxygen isotope values place it well away
from the howardite - eucrite - diogenites and with the acapulcoite - lodranites. Mineral compositions
distinguish it from this latter group.
It is a cumulate, the product of a magma in which solid mineral grains have settled in the melt. Here the
grains are relatively large crystals of pyroxene (specifically orthopyroxene) which enclose small crystals of
olivine, chromite and metal. These are surrounded by a plagioclase groundmass (specifically albite, the
sodium end member of the plagioclase solid solution).
The beauty of this meteorite to the thin section hobbyist is in the bold mineral grains that show few signs
of recent shock. Abundant trails of bubbles add interest. These appear to be the remnants of partially
healed fractures. With a little luck the collector will find large bubbles and small, spherical and elongated,
in simple trails and in undulating curtains. With the correct lighting they can appear quite intriguing.
The cut face of this sample is 36 mm across.
The large grains are orthopyroxene. They surround smaller grains of olivine and opaque
minerals. The large dark area at the top is an orthopyroxene grain in optical extinction. Field
of view is 8.1 mm wide.
This is a closer view of the same area. The white is albite, a plagioclase, which surrounds
the large orthopyroxene grains. FOV is 3 mm wide.
Transmitted white light shows a few opaque minerals.
This view is in reflected light. The bright white mineral is awaruite, a nickel – iron alloy. Here
the nickel content is very high at about 75%. The grey blebs are chromite. FOV is 2 mm
wide.
The large tan orthopyroxene grain is crossed by numerous wavy ribbons of bubbles. FOV is
3 mm wide.
A closer view of trails of bubbles in transmitted light. FOV is 0.3 mm wide.
The same view in a different light.
Meteorite Times Magazine
Northwest Africa 6704……a ‘most intriguing’ New Ungrouped
Meteorite
by Greg Hupé
“Is this a meteorite?” This is the first thought I silently spoke to myself as I examined a particular
greenish stone that was devoid of any apparent crust or other telltale signs of being meteoritic. Other than
a 2cm ‘patch’ of what appeared to be remnant fusion crust, I could not be certain this rock was a
meteorite. It resembled a diogenite, but a very strange one if it was indeed a meteorite. Always on the
lookout for the strangest of new meteorites, I took a gamble and purchased the nearly half kilo stone and
placed it in a bag and headed out the door.
Let me rewind a couple of days…
It was once again time to make plans to attend the yearly Tucson Mineral Show, in this case, 2011. I
decided to arrive early this year so I could be among the first to examine material that a variety of dealers
would have to offer. Upon arriving at the show and making the rounds, it seemed that it was not meant to
be as I would find out that I was the second, third or even fourth person to pick through the boxes of new
arrivals. Aside from purchasing a few known meteorites, I was beginning to feel discouraged. I had one
last chance to score something interesting; a Moroccan friend of mine had not received his shipment of
material due to some unknown customs concerns. He assured me that he would let me be the first to
open the boxes when they were due to arrive the next day. We made arrangements for him to call me the
next afternoon when the shipment arrived.
The next day seemed to start off at a snail’s pace. The morning was bitter cold and as the hours came
and went, I received no calls from my friend so I drove by his hotel showroom several times throughout
the day. No activity, no one there, just an empty room. I was beginning to think he was somehow
apprehended along with his material and was being held somewhere -- customs concerns I mused?
Returning to my own hotel room later that night, I made one last call at 10:30 PM and was delighted when
he answered. He said he received his shipment late that afternoon and that we could meet early the next
morning so I could be the first to open the boxes with him. I hung up and went to bed anticipating an early
start.
Sleep wasn’t meant to last and I was awake at 5:00 AM thinking of what I might discover in my friend’s
shipment. Getting anxious, I called him at 7:00 AM. He answered in a sleepy voice and was surprised that
I called so early. We made arrangements to meet at 8:30. Not wanting to chance anyone getting to the
boxes before I did, I drove over to his room to stake out my claim like a guard dog. As I walked towards his
room, I spotted him in another room with a group of Moroccans sipping their morning tea. He waved me
over and said lets go over and start opening some boxes. I suggested he finish his breakfast since I not
only woke him up early, I was now interrupting his tea. He reassured me it was OK so we went to his
room.
We dug into the boxes on the floor that were still sealed and I was presented with a number of stones that
I quickly examined and put in separate groups -- some I was interested in, some not so much. Only 20
minutes into my examination of this material, a fellow meteorite collector appeared in the doorway and
said he was there for his 9:00 AM “meeting” to look at the meteorites. I said I would be a little while and
that he should go have some breakfast and come back in about an hour. It didn’t work and he continued to
stand there hoping to jump in and start examining anything I was not interested in. Since he was a friend
of mine, I reassured him that he would be the next to check out the stones and that I wanted to continue
unpressured. He understood that I was politely asking him to leave and said he would be back in about an
hour. My Moroccan friend then closed and locked the door and shut the curtains so I could continue
without interruption. Sometime later I could hear that he was back at the door and talking with someone
else who must also have been waiting to gain entry into the room. Undaunted, I continued to examine
every stone, picking out anything I knew to be a rare meteorite or a suspect one worth gambling on.
Finished, I opened the door three hours later to find a small line of patient friends waiting. I felt a little guilty
about using so much time, but at least I was the first to go through the boxes and purchase anything I
thought was interesting. I would later find out just how special one of them would be!
Not wanting to wait until I returned home two weeks later to send a sample for analysis, I immediately
shipped a piece of the odd greenish rock to Dr. Tony Irving at the University of Washington. He said he
would be able to examine it as soon as he received it since his workload was light at that moment. In the
two weeks that I was still in Arizona, Tony had received the sample and made a thin section to examine in
the electron microprobe lab. Initial analysis could not confirm one way or another what this stone might be,
not even if it was actually a meteorite or not. He said it would require oxygen isotope analysis to determine
what it was. I was having a feeling I may have purchased a terrestrial mantle xenolith and was not feeling
good about my expensive decision to acquire it. He said that the regular scientist who performs this
specialized analysis in Washington DC was out of the country for three months. He was referred to
another lab in Japan that could study the sample within a week of receiving it. “Wow, that is amazing!” is
all I could say and was extremely impressed with Dr. Irving’s network of specialists who are able and
willing to study strange material at a moment’s notice. As it turns out, it was just very lucky timing -normally it takes months or years to get this type of work accomplished! As promised, within a week of
receiving the sample, the Japanese specialist confirmed the stone was indeed a meteorite… but NOT a
diogenite!!
Two days after returning home in Florida, I received a package of samples from a different Moroccan
partner. To my amazement, one of the samples looked similar to the odd green stone I had sent to Dr.
Irving while I was in Tucson. I sent the sample by overnight express to Tony and he said he believed the
sample was the same. I called my Moroccan friend and was told there was a 2-kilo stone in Algeria. After
a day of back-and-forth negotiating a price with the Algerian owner, he drove three days to a meeting place
along the southern borders of Morocco and Algeria. He told me the Algerian did not keep his promise to
sell him the stone and in turn sold it to a different Moroccan dealer in northern Morocco for a few extra
bucks. “Crap!” was all I could say out loud -- well, in reality it was the more extreme version of the phrase I
choose not to use here!
Knowing there was precious little time to try and find the new ‘owner’ of the 2-kilo piece in northern
Morocco, I called the same friend who I purchased the 490-gram piece from in Tucson since he lived in
the northern region. Luckily he was back in Morocco and agreed to ask around about the stone trying not
to draw too much attention to it. It is all too often that word gets out and it becomes impossible to get what
you are after at a fair price, or ever at all. A few hours later he called back and said he had actually found
the person who had it and made arrangements to meet and possibly buy the stone. Two days later, we
were able to agree on an acceptable price. Prize in hand, he shipped it to me the next day. I received it
three days later, it was definitely the same!
And then there was more…
After a few days, my friend called again and said he heard that a single, broken stone weighing around
eight kilos had been distributed by the Algerian finders. He went on to say that some of the larger pieces
and been purposely broken just to see what was ‘inside’ the stone. Over the next few weeks after
receiving the 2-kilo stone, I was called several times with “more” and then “even more” pieces. I was
beginning to think I got totally suckered as I was purchasing more and more of this material, every time
being told it was all from a single stone. I was reassured at each shipment that there was one stone that
had been broken apart and distributed to a few dealers in Morocco. After the first three shipments, I was
finally able to start putting the ‘puzzle’ stone back together, or as I started to say, “I am starting to put
Humpty Dumpty back together!” I was feeling better about buying all pieces that surfaced.
It took four months of secrecy among a small group of friends, a lot of stress and a small fortune to
acquire this material on my part, and the expertise of several dedicated scientists, but the pieces finally fell
in place. Thinking back at the time of purchasing the original 490-gram piece in Tucson with just 20
minutes to spare, I feel this meteorite was meant for me to help discover and put back together after being
separated in Algeria. While there has been a substantial amount of scientific discovery already made on
Northwest Africa 6704 (NWA 6704), there is so much more that specialists around the world will bring to
light in the coming months and years. Stay tuned…
Without attempting to describe the work performed by the dedicated scientists, I present here a summary
of analysis that have been performed as of the writing of this article (June 1, 2011):
Reassembled mass of the NWA 6704 ‘puzzle’ meteorite (measures 27cm x 16cm x
14cm)
NWA 6704 assembled mass with carefully collected smaller fragments
Close-up image of the NWA 6704 matrix
Bubble trains and cleavages in orthopyroxene (width of field 0.593 mm) (image courtesy
Tony Irving and Nick Castle)
Close-up #2 of bubble trains within NWA 6704 (width of field 0.237mm) (image courtesy
Tony Irving and Nick Castle)
Close-up image of only fusion crust ‘patch’ on NWA 6704 (measures 1.2cm x 2cm)
Optical thin section image of NWA 6704 taken in cross-polarized light. Large grains
(brown, blue, and black along top) are orthopyroxene; smaller grains (mostly green and
purple) are olivine; small opaque (black) grains are chromite and awaruite; and pale gray
material between other grains is albite. Width of field of view is 5 mm. (photo courtesy
John Kashuba)
"Oxygen isotopic compositions of various achondrites relative to the terrestrial fractionation
line (TFL). NWA 6704 plots well below the TFL within the broad field for members of the
acapulcoite-lodranite clan, and far from the fields for eucrites, diogenites and
mesosiderites.
Abstract submitted for the Meteoritical Society Meeting in London 2011:
NORTHWEST AFRICA 6704: A UNIQUE CUMULATE PERMAFIC ACHONDRITE CONTAINING
SODIC FELDSPAR, AWARUITE AND “FLUID” INCLUSIONS, WITH AN OXYGEN ISOTOPIC
COMPOSITION IN THE ACAPULCOITE-LODRANITE FIELD.
A. J. Irving1, R. Tanaka2, A. Steele3, S. M. Kuehner1, T. E. Bunch4, J. H. Wittke4 and G. M. Hupé. 1Dept.
of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, irving@ess.washington.edu;
2Institute for Study of Earth's Interior, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan; 3Geophysical Laboratory,
Carnegie Institution, Washington, DC; 4Geology Program, SESES, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff,
AZ.
Petrography: A very fresh, dense, yellowish-green stone with rounded, shiny exterior surfaces and small
patches of remnant black fusion crust found in Algeria is a unique, medium grained (gs 0.3-1.5 mm),
unshocked achondrite with an igneous cumulate texture. Smaller grains of olivine (Fa51.6-53.2; FeO/MnO
= 120-140; NiO = 0.9-1.0 wt.%) and chromite [Cr/(Cr+Al) = 89.0) are enclosed within large (up to 1.5 mm)
orthopyroxene oikocrysts (Fs41.6-42.4Wo2.8-3.6, FeO/MnO = 81-106), which are surrounded by
intercumulus indistinctly-twinned, very sodic plagioclase (Ab92An4Or4) and tiny grains of awaruite (Ni =
75 wt.%). Orthopyroxene grains contain curvilinear trains of tiny rounded to irregularly-shaped, clear to
pinkish inclusions (<2-30 m), which appear on polished surfaces to be empty bubbles with smooth
rounded walls. Confocal Raman spectroscopy of inclusions below thin section surfaces did not reveal any
fluid species.
Oxygen Isotopes: Replicate analyses of acid-washed bulk material by laser fluorination gave: 17O
1.015, 0.880; 18O 3.922, 3.613; 17O -1.048, -1.020 per mil, respectively. These results plot in the field
for acapulcoites and lodranites [1].
Discussion: This specimen is unlike any other known achondrite in its combined mineralogical features:
mafic silicate minerals with elevated FeO/MnO ratios, extremely sodic plagioclase, trapped bubble trains
and very Ni-rich metal. Despite its oxygen isotopic composition, NWA 6704 bears no mineralogical
resemblance to members of the acapulcoite-lodranite clan. It appears to be a cumulate igneous rock
related to an unknown “planetary” parent body, which evidently was capable of interior melting and crystal
accumulation. The relatively ferroan silicates, very sodic plagioclase and now empty (?)fluid inclusions
(see below) suggest a somewhat “Earth-like”, differentiated parent body.
References: [1] Clayton R. and Mayeda T. (1996) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 60, 1999-2017; Irving A. et
al. (2007) Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXVIII, #1338.
Officially accepted classification of NWA 6704 as entered in the Meteoritical Bulletin:
Northwest Africa 6704 (NWA 6704)
Algeria
Purchased: 2011 Feb-May
Classification: Ungrouped achondrite
View NWA 6704 in the Meteoritical Bulletin
History: A single, dense, yellowish-green stone was found in pieces in Algeria, and was purchased in
February 2011 at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and over subsequent weeks from Moroccan dealers
by Greg Hupé.
Physical characteristics: Forty two pieces fit together as a single ovoid mass (8387 g) with rounded, shiny
exterior and small patches of remnant black fusion crust. The interior is mostly pale yellowish green with
rare darker brownish grains and sparsely distributed small grains of opaque oxide and metal.
Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS): Overall medium grained with an igneous cumulate
texture. Small grains of olivine (0.5-0.8 mm) and chromite (0.1-0.6 mm) enclosed within large (to 4 mm)
orthopyroxene oikocrysts, which are in turn surrounded by large optically continuous, intercumulus grains
of untwinned albite and <0.1 mm awaruite. The silicates contain curvilinear trains of tiny rounded
inclusions (2-20 μm), which appear on polished surfaces to be empty bubbles with smooth rounded walls.
Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa51.6-53.2; FeO/MnO=120-140; NiO=0.9-1.0 wt.%), orthopyroxene (Fs41.642.4Wo2.8-3.6, FeO/MnO=81-82; Cr2O3=0.3 wt.%), plagioclase (Ab92-93An4-3Or4). Oxygen isotopes
(R. Tanaka, OkaU): replicate analyses of acid-washed material by laser fluorination gave: δ17O 1.015,
0.880; δ18O 3.922, 3.613; Δ17O -1.048, -1.020 per mil.
Classification: Achondrite (ungrouped). This specimen is unlike other achondrites in its combined
features: relatively ferroan mafic silicate minerals with elevated FeO/MnO ratios and anomalous Ni
contents, extremely sodic plagioclase, very Ni-rich metal, and oxygen isotopic composition that plots
within the field for acapulcoites-lodranites. Weathering is low and limited to minor coatings of pale orange
desert dust on broken surfaces. Unshocked.
Specimens: A total of 20.5 g of type material and two polished thin sections are on deposit at UWS. The
remaining material is held by GHupé.
NWA 6704 is a most intriguing meteorite unlike any others known to man! Not only does it have
tremendous scientific value, it is one of the most visually appealing meteorites with its dazzling display of
yellowish-green orthopyroxene crystals containing small grains of olivine and chromite surrounded by
large intercumulus grains of albite enclosing small grains of awaruite (a rare very nickel-rich alloy).
Oxygen isotope results plot this achondrite within the field for acapulcoites-lodranites, but that is where
any comparison stops. NWA 6704 is unlike any other meteorite! If that isn’t enough, this incredible
meteorite contains an abundance of ‘bubble trains’ within the orthopyroxene which appear to be void of
fluid upon initial inspection. Ongoing analysis are currently being performed to measure the cosmogenic
noble gases to determine its CRE age (time spent in space) and to possibly detect trapped gases or even
atmosphere from the NWA 6704 parent body!
NWA 6704 has a Total Known Weight of 8387 grams in a single, naturally fractured stone that was
discovered in Northwest Africa in 2010. In their eagerness to see what was ‘inside’ the stone, the Algerian
finders unfortunately broke the largest pieces as can be seen in the image of the reassembled stone
above. Also visible are the natural breaks along extended grain boundaries which have been sandblasted
over time in the Sahara, smoothing the edges on the largest pieces and a more ‘rounding’ of the smaller
fragments. Oddly, NWA 6704 is almost entirely devoid of visible fusion crust; only a single 1.5cm x 2cm
patch exists, raising questions as to how this can be. Through a determined effort over a four month
period, the distributed parts were purchased by the author and reassembled into a single stone
resembling a ‘puzzle’. It is remarkable that the finders were able to collect even the smallest of fragments
as can be seen in the image above! I thought it would be a great way to emphasize the diligent recovery
effort the Algerian finders did to save practically every grain of this material... and to illustrate what it could
have possibly looked like in the wind swept Sahara when first viewed by human eyes!
Photos courtesy Greg Hupé unless otherwise noted.
gmhupe@centurylink.net
© Gregory M. Hupé – The Hupé Collection
Meteorite Times Magazine
Meteorite Calendar – June 2011
by Anne Black
Meteorite Times Magazine
Nadiabondi Meteorite H5
by Editor
Nadiabondi Individual, H5 Ordinary Chondrite, 8.5 Grams, Gourma, Burkina Faso, Date of
fall, July 27, 1956
Nadiabondi Individual, H5 Ordinary Chondrite, 8.5 Grams, Gourma, Burkina Faso, Date of
fall, July 27, 1956
Meteorite Times Magazine
Moldavites As Found
by Editor
Collected on surface of a field near Nesmen.
Uncleaned pieces coming out of mining.
Collected on surface of a field near Nesmen.
Meteorite-Times Magazine
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Once a few decades ago this opening
was a framed window in the wall
of H. H. Nininger's Home and
Museum building. From this
window he must have many times
pondered the mysteries of
Meteor Crater seen in the distance.
Photo by © 2010 James Tobin