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Northwest Africa 13973
Basic information Name: Northwest Africa 13973
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: NWA 13973
Observed fall: No
Year found: 2020
Country: (Northwest Africa)
Mass:help 4.5 kg
Classification
  history:
Recommended:  Martian (shergottite)    [explanation]

This is 1 of 298 approved meteorites (plus 2 unapproved names) classified as Martian (shergottite).   [show all]
Search for other: Martian meteorites
Comments: Approved 18 Jun 2021
Writeuphelp
Writeup from MB 110:

Northwest Africa 13973 (NWA 13973)

Northwest Africa

Purchased: 2020

Classification: Martian meteorite (Shergottite)

History: Purchased by Jay Piatek from a Moroccan meteorite dealer in 2020.

Physical characteristics: Single stone, approximately half covered in fusion crust. One side was presumably exposed to desert winds and lacks fusion crust from sandblasting. The fusion-crusted side was apparently buried in the sand and is thus better preserved. The surface possesses several prominent, thumb-sized regmaglypts. Phenocrystic olivine grains up to 3 mm are visible beneath the fusion crust. Sawn surface reveals a porphyritic texture with orange-brown olivine phenocrysts set in a light green-brown groundmass. The deposit sample slice displays several prominent, dark colored, shock melt veins.

Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) This meteorite is a porphyritic basalt with large anhedral to euhedral olivines, the groundmass consists of fine grained olivine, pyroxene, and maskelynite, with accessory ilmenite, chromite, and troilite. The olivine phenocrysts are igneously zoned.

Geochemistry: (C. Agee, UNM) Olivine Fa37.0±14.8, Fe/Mn=54±4, CaO=0.36±0.13, (wt%), n=9; pyroxene Fs30.3±9.1Wo8.9±6.2, Fe/Mn=33±3, n=9; maskelynite An63.1±1.3Ab36.4±1.3Or0.5±0.2, n=6.

Classification: Martian shergottite (olivine phyric basalt)

Specimens: 20.33 g on deposit at UNM, Jay Piatek holds the main mass

Data from:
  MB110
  Table 0
  Line 0:
Place of purchase:Morocco
Date:P 2020
Mass (g):4500
Pieces:1
Class:Martian (shergottite)
Shock stage:high
Weathering grade:low
Fayalite (mol%):37.0±14.8
Ferrosilite (mol%):30.3±9.1
Wollastonite (mol%):8.9±6.2
Classifier:C. Agee, UNM
Type spec mass (g):20.33
Type spec location:UNM
Main mass:Jay Piatek
Comments:Submitted by C. Agee
Institutions
   and collections		 UNM: Institute of Meteoritics MSC03 2050 University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 87131-1126 USA, United States; Website (institutional address; updated 12 Feb 2015)
Catalogs:
References: Published in Gattacceca J., McCubbin F.M., Grossman J., Bouvier A., Chabot N.L., D'Orazio M., Goodrich C., Greshake A., Gross J., Komatsu M., Miao B., and Schrader D. (2022) The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 110. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 1-4
Find references in NASA ADS:
Find references in Google Scholar:
Geography: 
Coordinates:Unknown.

Statistics:
     This is 1 of 9305 approved meteorites from (Northwest Africa) (plus 1873 unapproved names)

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