Tichit 002        18°16.217’N, 9°49.983’W

Tagant, Mauritania

Find: 30 September 2019

Classification: Iron meteorite (IIIAB)

History: A single large stone weighing 253 kg and measuring 33 × 35 × 36 cm was found on September 30, 2019, by a camel farmer named Mourtagi in the desert 40 km north of Tichit. Initially thinking that it was a gold rock, Mourtagi sent pictures of it to Moulaye Babti, who owns a company (Ste Moulaye Abdelk) in Mauritania working on gold exploration and meteorite collection with metal detectors. Interested in it, this specimen was then purchased 5 days later by Ste Moulaye Abdelk on October 5, 2019.

Physical characteristics: The exterior of the stone displays visible regmaglypts and is moderately weathered with minor fusion crust still present in some parts. A cut of the interior reveals a slightly rusted metallic surface.

Petrography: (D. Sheikh, Cascadia) This sample (2 cm by 4 cm) and photos taken from a polished surface of the main mass display a well-developed Widmanstätten pattern consistant with a medium octahedrite (Av. kamacite bandwidth: 1.0±0.2 mm, n=30). No inclusions were observed in the studied specimen.

Geochemistry: ICP-MS data, using sample of North Chile (Filomena) as standard (C. Herd, and P. Hill, UAb): Ni = 7.6, Co = 0.46 (both wt. %); Ir = 3.42, Ga = 19, Ge = 34, As = 5.6, W = 0.6, Ru = 9.0, Re = 0.28, Os = 1.9, Pt = 12.1, Cu = 153, Au = 1.19 (all µg/g). Another measurement of Co on another stone (by MSALABS, Canada) gave Co = 0.54 wt%.

Classification: IIIAB iron, medium octahedrite.

Specimens: 95 grams at Cascadia; main mass with Ste Moulaye Abdelk.