Jikharra 001 is a rare eucrite melt breccia recovered from a large strewnfield in the Libyan Sahara in 2022. Thousands of broken fragments were found scattered across a wide area in the northeastern part of the country. Samples were analyzed and classified as Vestan eucrites. This meteorite has a characteristic tan ground mass with scattered clasts. Because it is a melt type, the material is quite hard for a eucrite and takes a good polish.
Refer to the photo. The black centimeter cube is shown for scale and is not included. You are purchasing a small fragment similar to the one shown. Your purchase will include a labeled gemjar.
From the Meteoritical Bulletin entry on Jikharra 001 :
Jikharra 001 29°58’08.2’’ N, 21°52’05.0’’ E
Ajdabiya, Libya
Purchased: 2022
Classification: HED achondrite (Eucrite, melt breccia)
History: Numerous fragments reportedly totalling at least 2.5 metric tons, and possibly more that 3 T, were recovered in Northeastern Libya. Fifty kg of it were subsequently purchased by the main mass holder from a meteorite dealer in Libya.
Physical characteristics: Many brownish fragments some of which with small patches of fusion crust.
Petrography: Achondritic melt breccia composed of several cm-sized lithic clasts set in abundant recrystallized shock melt. Lithic clasts consist of calcic plagioclase and aggregates of fine-grained, 30-70 µm sized pigeonite crystals displaying patchy compositional zoning. The melt matrix is composed of recrystallized pigeonite displaying mottled compositional zoning and fine-grained, mostly fibrous feldspar. Minor phases include silica, Ti-chromite, ilmenite, and FeS. No metallic iron has been detected.
Geochemistry: patchily zoned pigeonite: Fs50.1±1.5Wo11.6±1.7 (Fs48.1-53.4Wo6.9-13.3, FeO/MnO=27-31, n=12); calcic plagioclase: An90.2±0.7 (An88.9-91.3, n=10)
