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Northwest Africa 5960
Basic information Name: Northwest Africa 5960
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: NWA 5960
Observed fall: No
Year found: 2009
Country: Mali
Mass:help 147 g
Classification
  history:
Meteoritical Bulletin:  MB 97  (2010)  Shergottite
Recommended:  Martian (shergottite)    [explanation]

This is 1 of 307 approved meteorites (plus 2 unapproved names) classified as Martian (shergottite).   [show all]
Search for other: Martian meteorites
Comments: Approved 9 Dec 2009
Writeuphelp
Writeup from MB 97:

Northwest Africa 5960

Mali

Found: August 2009

Classification: Achondrite (Martian, olivine-phyric shergottite)

History: A pale colored stone found near Guirat Laghnam in northern Mali in August 2009 was purchased by Ali and Mohammed Hmani.

Physical characteristics: A very fine-grained, partly fusion-crusted stone (147 g) displaying fluted abrasion features on several sides. The fresh interior is pale gray with evenly-distributed, larger, pale tan grains.

Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS): Porphyritic texture, with small (0.15 to 0.35 mm) olivine phenocrysts in a finer grained groundmass composed mainly of prismatic pigeonite and maskelynite with accessory olivine, chromite, titanomagnetite, ilmenite, merrillite, and pyrrhotite.

Geochemistry: Olivine (core Fa25.4, rim Fa39.2; FeO⁄MnO = 47.0–52.1), pigeonite (Fs31.2–38.7Wo5.1–12.5, FeO⁄MnO=26.2–31.3), plagioclase (An55.9–56.6Or2.1–1.8).

Classification: Achondrite (Martian, olivine-phyric shergottite). This specimen has essentially the same external appearance, grainsize, texture, and mineral compositions as NWA 2990, and may be paired with it.

Specimens: A 20.0 g type specimen and one polished thin section are on deposit at UWS. The remaining material is held by an anonymous collector.

Data from:
  MB97
  Table 1
  Line 350:
Origin or pseudonym:Mali
Date:August 2009
Mass (g):147
Pieces:1
Class:Shergottite
Fayalite (mol%):25.4
Ferrosilite (mol%):31.2-38.7
Wollastonite (mol%):5.1-12.5
Classifier:Irving and Kuehner, UWS
Type spec mass (g):20
Type spec location:UWS
Main mass:Anon
Institutions
   and collections		 UWS: University of Washington, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, 70 Johnson Hall, Seattle, WA 98195, United States (institutional address; updated 15 Jan 2012)
Hmani: A. Hmani Moroccan Imports, 13 rue Jules Hardouin Mansart, 92600 Asnières, France (private address)
Catalogs:
References: Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 97, MAPS 45, 449-493 (2010)
Find references in NASA ADS:
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Geography:

Mali
Coordinates:Unknown.

Statistics:
     This is 1 of 104 approved meteorites from Mali (plus 2 unapproved names)

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