Northwest Africa 10399 (NWA 10399)

Northwest Africa

Purchased: 2014

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (L4)

History: One stone weighing 58.4.g was found in Morocco in 2014. David Holden acquired the sample from a meteorite prospector in Erfoud 2014.

Physical characteristics: The oriented stone is green and has a triangular shape. The stone is 99% covered by a weathered fusion crust that displays shallow regmaglypts. Clumps of sand grains appear to be fused to the portions of the crust. The cut face of the interior of the stone is dark orange in color and displays small chondrules, chondrule fragments, dark clasts and fresh and weathered flakes of metal.

Petrography: Description and classification (A. Love, App): Sample displays recrystallized chondritic texture composed of indistinct chondrules and fragments set within a transparent crystalline matrix of olivine, pyroxene (abundance of clinoenstatite ~= to orthoenstatite), apatite, troilite and FeNi grains. Few chondrules are defined but have an average diameter of 753 μm.

Geochemistry: (A.Love, App): Olivine Fa_22.7±0.2, N=8; Low Ca pyroxene Fs_21.1±2.6Wo_2.7±0.4, N=8

Classification: Based on chemistry and abundance of low Ca pyroxene, this is an ordinary chondrite (L4, S2, W3).

Specimens: 11.9 g type specimen and 1 polished thin section are on deposit at App