A single "pie shaped" 2.5kg stone without fusion crust was recovered out of the Saharan desert of Northwest Africa and sold at a Chinese mineral show in 2014. The meteorite was analyzed and classified as a rare eucrite melt breccia that originates from the asteroid 4 Vesta. This meteorite is poorly distributed in private collections and this is the only specimen of it I have seen.
The specimen offered here is a slice that weighs approx. 5 grams and shows a nice mix of clasts, melt regions, and matrix.
Refer to the photos. The black centimeter cube is shown for scale and is not included. You are purchasing the specimen shown. Your purchase will include a specimen container and ID label.
From the Meteoritical Bulletin entry on NWA 8734 :
Northwest Africa 8743 (NWA 8743)
(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: 2014
Classification: HED achondrite (Eucrite, melt breccia)
History: A stone was found in northwest Africa. Moroccan dealer Mohammed Sbai sold the stone to an anonymous collector at the Changsha mineral show in May 2014.
Physical characteristics: Single pie-shaped stone has patchy dark-gray irregular surface. Fusion crust is not preserved.
Petrography: (C. A. Lorenz, Vernad) The rock is a breccia consisting of coarse-grained gabbro fragments (33 vol%) up to 6 × 3 cm and minor fragments of fine-grained pyroxene-feldspar rocks. The rock fragments are embedded into a fine-grained matrix full of fine mineral and rock fragments. The matrix consists of pyroxene and feldspar needles which form a graphic intergrowth.
Geochemistry: (N. N. Kononkova, Vernad, EMP) coarse-grained gabbro-pyroxene Fs57.6Wo4.5 (N=10; Fe/Mn = 30.6) Fs55.0-60.3Wo2.2-7.6; feldspar An91.0Ab8.6 (N=12).
Classification: Eucrite melt breccia
Specimens: A total of 254.1 g (213.3 g cut piece and 40.8 g slice), one thin section and one thick polished section are on deposit at Vernad. An anonymous collector holds the main mass.
