El Médano 300        ~24°51’S, ~70°32’W

Antofagasta, Chile

Find: 2013 Nov 09

Classification: Iron meteorite (IAB, ungrouped)

History: Found by Matthieu Gounelle during a systematic search for meteorites organized by CEREGE in 2013.

Physical characteristics: The meteorite is a full oriented specimen with pyramid shape, regmaglypts and a few weathering pits. Cut surface shows unweathered metallic interior with dark mm-sized inclusions, some organized in flower-like structures.

Petrography: Metal with fine grained (circa 100 μm) homogeneous texture. The meteorite has graphite "flowers" with dimensions up to 5 mm that are quite similar to those in IAB-ungrouped NWA 8154 and NWA 8155. However, the composition of this iron is very different from these two NWA irons. Also present is abundant fine (20 μm) schreibersite, rare troilite globule and schreibersite large crystals (mm size).

Geochemistry: Bulk composition (INAA, J.T. Wasson, UCLA): Co = 5.02 mg/g; Ni = 66.0 mg/g, Ga = 57.6 μg/g, Ge = 307 μg/g, As = 12.3 μg/g, Ir = 1.60 μg/g, Au = 1.608 μg/g. The meteorite has high Sb (280 ng/g). Data are the mean of two analyses. The high Au, As and Sb indicate the this iron is a member of the IAB complex. Its composition is, however, unique. The most similar irons are Redfields, Pedernales and Mundrabilla, but none of these are closely related. It also differs in major ways from NWA 8154 and NWA 8155, which also show graphite flowers; for example, the latter have 133 mg/g Ni and 24 μg/g Ir.

Classification: Iron, IAB-ung

Specimens: Main mass and type specimen in CEREGE, INAA slab (1.47 g) in UCLA, 2.6 g at MNHN.