Northwest Africa 8289 (NWA 8289)

(Northwest Africa)

Purchased: 2013

Classification: Carbonaceous chondrite (CV3)

History: Purchased by Brahim Tahiri from a Moroccan meteorite hunter and sent to his partner Sean Tutorow for classification, 2013.

Physical characteristics: Single stone, dark, weathered, irregular exterior, some orange oxidation patches, CAIs visible, dark gray matrix, friable.

Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Microprobe examination of a polished mount many irregular shaped porphryritic chondrules, most chondrules with abundant opaque inclusions, fine-grained matrix makes up about ~50% of this meteorite, ferroan olivines and pyroxenes are rare.

Geochemistry: (C. Agee and H. Miley, UNM) Olivine Fa_0.9±0.6, range Fa_0.4-2.0, Cr₂O₃=0.24±0.10 (wt%), CaO=0.33±0.12 (wt%), n=9; enstatite Fs_1.6±0.9Wo_0.9±0.1, n=7; plagioclase An_81.2±4.1Ab_18.6±4.1Or_0.2±0.1, n=7; aluminous augite Fs_35.5Wo_28.3, Al₂O₃=18.1 (wt%); spinel Mg#=93; gehlenite-rich melilite observed in CAIs. Oxygen isotopes (K. Ziegler, UNM) Oxygen isotope values of 3 acid-washed aliquots of bulk sample, 1.4, 1.1, 2.0 mg, gave δ¹⁷O = -8.484, -4.744, -5.974, δ¹⁸O = -3.877, -0.884, -2.277, Δ¹⁷O = -6.437, -4.277, -4.772 (linearized, all permil).

Classification: Carbonaceous chondrite (CV3)

Specimens: 20.11 g including a probe mount on deposit at UNM, Sean Tutorow holds the main mass.