A Bedouin nomad discovered a single, small, triangular stone in the deserts of Western Sahara. It was purchased by a US dealer who had it analyzed. It was classified as a carbonaceous chondrite of the CO3 type. It has a dark brown, fine grained matrix with plentiful tiny chondrules. Chwichiya is a relatively-new and obscure dense collection area and there have been five meteorites recovered and classified from this region of Saguia el Hamra, Western Sahara.
Refer to the photo. The black centimeter cube is shown for scale and is not included. You are purchasing a single small fragment like the one shown. Your purchase will include a labeled gemjar for safe storage.
From the Meteoritical Bulletin entry on Chwichiya 005 :
Chwichiya 005 27º14.39’ N, 011º 40.12’W
Saguia el Hamra, Western Sahara
Find: 2019
Classification: Carbonaceous chondrite (CO3)
History: A single 249 g stone was found by Iken Mohamed in the Saguia el Hamra region of Western Sahara in 2019. John Higgins purchased the stone from Mohamed Elguirah in 2020.
Physical characteristics: Sample is dark brown in color, has a triangular profile with a rounded convex face and a flat bottom. The convex face is weathered and shows and irregular pattern of fractures. The cut face shows abundant small chondrules in a dark brown matrix.
Petrography: Description and classification (A. Love, App): Sample shows chondritic texture composed of chondrules with an average apparent diameter 208 µm (n=60), fragments mineral grains and abundant refractory inclusions, abundant sulfide and weathered metal set within a fine-grained, opaque matrix. Additional minerals are: plagioclase, Si-polymorph, troilite and oxidized FeNi metal.
Geochemistry: (A. Love, App) Olivine, Fa22.5±16.0 (Fa0.9-52.0), n=18. Cr2O3 Wt% in type II chondrules - 0.4±0.2, n=15); low-Ca pyroxene, Fs4.7±3.8Wo1.2±1.0 (Fs0.7-8.2Wo0.3-1.6, n=11); pigeonite, Fs3.5-5.8Wo7.4-5.3, n=2.
Classification: Carbonaceous chondrite (CO3, C-S2, W3) Based on texture, chondrule diameter and magnetic susceptibility this sample is an CO chondrite.
