NWA 7397 Martian Meteorite End Cut - Main Mass...

NWA 7397 Martian Meteorite End Cut - Main Mass Martian (shergottite) Northwest Africa Found: 2012 This is one large end piece of the planet Mars - and is the MAIN MASS (the largest extant specimen) of Martian Meteorite NWA 7397. Found in 2012, NWA 7397 contains large ovoid crystals - many of which are chatoyant. The large salmon-hued oikocrysts (crystals that contain other crystals) are composed of low calcium pyroxene, which enclose crystals of olivine and chromite. The reverse is blanketed in fusion crust, an artifact of the meteorite's fiery descent through Earth's atmosphere (where temperatures reached during frictional heating are hotter than the surface of the sun!). NWA 7397 shares the compositional and isotopic fingerprint of other Martian meteorites. The determination of Martian origin is the result of research having been conducted by hundreds of scientists throughout the world. The lead author of the scientific abstract on NWA 7397 is Dr. Anthony Irving, the world's foremost classifier of planetary meteorites. The other end piece from this meteorite, which is significantly smaller, was acquired by a museum. Meteorites from Mars are among the most exotic substances on Earth - a total of only some 200 kilograms (440 pounds) are known to exist. The delivery mechanism to Earth was an asteroid impact on the Martian surface, which jettisoned material off Mars into an Earth-intersecting orbit, and now offered is that MAIN MASS of an incomparable representation. Measurements: 5.25 x 3.25 x 1.5 inches (13.3 x 8.2 x 3.8 cm), weighs 623.95 grams HID09710052018 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved