Jeminay        47°52’59"N, 85°54’22"E

Xinjiang, China

Find: 6 June 2017

Classification: Iron meteorite (ungrouped)

History: Found by Ye Erbo Lati and his companions Wang Ziyao and Yang Guang on June 6, 2017, while they were using metal detectors to search for meteorites in the Gobi Desert. The location is near the small town of Qiake’er in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Altay, Jeminay County, China.

Physical characteristics: The main mass is discoid in shape, approximately 3 cm thick, with a glossy brown to red-brown exterior.

Petrography: (C. Herd, UAb) Optical and SEM investigation of a ~1 × 2.5 cm polished and etched surface reveals a well-developed Widmanstatten pattern consistent with a finest octahedrite (0.06±0.02 mm; n=66), but having a matte appearance typical of hatched ?-structure. In detail, shock-hatching predominates, grain boundaries are irregular, and low-Ni areas consist of irregular, wavy grains. Inclusions on cut surfaces of other samples were noted, but not available for study.

Geochemistry: ICP-MS data, using sample of North Chile (Filomena) as standard (C. Herd and G. Chen UAb): Ni = 16.7, Co = 0.93 (both wt%); Cu = 341, Ga = 8, As = 12, W = 0.7, Ir = 13.4, Pt = 20.0, Au = 0.99 (all μg/g).

Classification: (C. Herd, UAb): Ungrouped, finest octahedrite. Although high Ni and Ir are suggestive of the IVB group, other element concentrations fall outside of known ranges for IVB irons.

Specimens: Type specimen consisting of two representative slices (13.5 g and 12.8 g) at UAb. Wang Ziyao 3 kg, Ye Erbo Lati 1.5 kg, Yang Guang 1.5 kg, Mendy Ouzillou 300 g.