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Met Name

Met Type

Thin Sections

Oriented stone.   unclassified

Fall not observed.


Steve writes:

The unclassified NWA in Photo 1 is a nicely sized and shaped "hand stone" for letting people hold an actual rock from space (Photos 2 and 3 show alternate views). Although obviously weathered, the fusion crust still appears somewhat glossy (desert patina?), with duller protruding "warts" that are quite hard, as they stand up to wire brushing and other mechanical attempts to clean them up.

Contraction cracks are not particularly plentiful in the crust, but a few can be seen in Photos 4 and 5. Photo 6 also shows contraction cracks on the right side of the image, as well as the end of a curious small bulge on the left that spans about 4 cm across the opposite side in Photo 7, which was taken at three slightly different angles to better depict this bulge going down the approximate center of that edge and how it becomes more shallow in the middle.

The click rate with a spot metal detector suggests a definite bias on one side compared to the other. Part of me is tempted to cut this meteorite to see what’s inside, while another part appreciates the aesthetics of the complete stone and makes me reluctant to do so (I’ve debated this decision for over half a decade, and before that, it sat on Edwin Thompson’s desk for several years because he had the same dilemma!).

Finally, the broken window in Photo 8 exhibits a clear rollover lip, suggesting the break occurred mid-flight. And visually, there are a few obvious metal protrusions from the crust, with a particularly unique one shown in Photo 9 (it can also just barely be seen in Photo 3 on the edge at about the 10:30 position).