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4.57 gram full slice.   Martian (shergottite)

TKW 8 kg. Fall not observed. Found 2011 in Morocco.
 

Steve writes:

Within the last billion years, successive lava flows erupted on Mars in the area of what would later become the 36 mile wide Mojave crater - the youngest one of its size. Created less than ten million years ago, Mojave is thought to be source of NWA 6963, the very first Martian gabbro.

An enriched mafic basalt, NWA 6963's large gray pyroxene crystals are zoned, the long and whiter plagioclase crystals have been shocked by impact into a glassy state, and black impact melt and shock veins permeate many of the stones. Paired with NWA 7258, they both have mineral compositions closer to the Shergotty type specimen than any prior Martian meteorite, sharing Shergotty's high amounts of magnesium and iron and exhibiting a similar trace mineral content.

NWA 6963's strewn field was originally kept secret, but it is now known to be located near the Oued Touflit river, where stones ranging in size from several to 700 grams have been found. The 4.57 gram full slice in these photos measures 41 x 27 x 1 mm. Photo 1 is a composite showing the front and rear sides of the slice. Photos 2 and 3 provide additional views of the front side that better illustrate the shock vein running across its upper right corner. The edge views in Photo 4 attempt to offer a glimpse of the fusion crust.

  Click to view larger photos     #1     #2     #3     #4