Apache Junction        33°27’N, 111°31’W

Arizona, USA

Found: prior to 2005

Classification: Iron meteorite (IIIAB)

History: Purchased by Carleton Moore from the finder in Apache Junction.

Physical characteristics: A single, ellipsoidal (34 × 15 × 12 cm) 25 kg mass reportedly found near the intersection of McKellips Rd. and Ironwood Dr. in the city of Apache Junction, Arizona. The surface of the meteorite exhibits shows minor rusting, and well-developed regmaglypts.

Petrography: (Laurence Garvie, ASU) Medium octahedrite (bandwidth 0.85±0.15). Kamacite with a cross-hatched pattern abundant. Taenite and plessite common (visually ~25% by area). Neumann bands weakly developed. A few long thin Reichenbach lamellae on each slice. Individual lamellae can be followed through several slices and together these lamella form a trapezoid - parallel sides are 35 and 15 mm long and height of ~20 mm. Typical lamella is a 100 μm thick plate of chromite (determined by powder XRD). Some lamellae bordered by troilite and irregular masses of attached schreibersite. Schreibersite (to 500 μm) present in the interiors of kamacite bands. Chromite also present as rare, to 1 mm, euhedral grains with schreibersite. Only one troilite nodule (12x8 mm) present; exhibits a discontinuous schreibersite rim and well-developed swathing kamacite. Traces of heat affected zone present.

Geochemistry: Composition as determined by INAA (J.T. Wasson, UCLA) - Ni 83.9 mg/g; Co 5.28 mg/g; Cr 18 μg/g; Cu 136 μg/g; Ga 20.1 μg/g; As 8.3 μg/g; Ir 0.192 μg/g; Pt 5.7 μg/g; Au 1.153 μg/g; W 0.53 ng/g, and Re <20 ng/g.

Classification: The meteorite is a member of IIIAB. Its nearest North American relatives are El Capitan (0.12 μg/g Ir) and Asarco Mexicana (0.27 μg/g Ir), but the compositional differences are large enough to make it unlikely that it is paired with either of these or with any other well-characterized IIIAB iron.

Specimens: A total of 1500 g are on deposit at ASU.