Jikharra 001        29°58’08.2’’ N, 21°52’05.0’’ E

Ajdabiya, Libya

Purchased: 2022

Classification: HED achondrite (Eucrite, melt breccia)

History: Numerous fragments reportedly totalling at least 2.5 metric tons, and possibly more that 3 T, were recovered in Northeastern Libya. Fifty kg of it were subsequently purchased by the main mass holder from a meteorite dealer in Libya.

Physical characteristics: Many brownish fragments some of which with small patches of fusion crust.

Petrography: Achondritic melt breccia composed of several cm-sized lithic clasts set in abundant recrystallized shock melt. Lithic clasts consist of calcic plagioclase and aggregates of fine-grained, 30-70 µm sized pigeonite crystals displaying patchy compositional zoning. The melt matrix is composed of recrystallized pigeonite displaying mottled compositional zoning and fine-grained, mostly fibrous feldspar. Minor phases include silica, Ti-chromite, ilmenite, and FeS. No metallic iron has been detected.

Geochemistry: patchily zoned pigeonite: Fs_50.1±1.5Wo_11.6±1.7 (Fs_48.1-53.4Wo_6.9-13.3, FeO/MnO=27-31, n=12); calcic plagioclase: An_90.2±0.7 (An_88.9-91.3, n=10)

Specimens:: 83.5 g at MNB; 205 g including two polished thin sections at UWB; 50 kg with M. Cimala; 63.36 kg with WangZ, 350 kg with M. Lyon, 845.8 kg with DPitt; (including a single 215 kg specimen), ~150 kg with Ali Benamar; 1000 kg with an anonymous Chinese collector.