NWA 8037 Type 3.4 Metal-Poor Ordinary Chondrite Meteorites for Sale

Location: Northwest Africa, location unknown. Purchased in 2013.

Found: 2013.

Classification: Type 3.4 metal-poor chondrite (S2, W1/2).

Description: History: Purchased by Eric Twelker in February 2013 from a Moroccan dealer at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Relatively fresh specimen composed of very closely-packed, well-formed, medium-sized (0.4-2.1 mm) chondrules in a sparse black matrix with very low metal content. Olivine, orthopyroxene, pigeonite, diopside, sodic plagioclase, altered kamacite, taenite, troilite and rare chromite.
Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_0.5-94.8; Cr₂O₃ in ferroan olivine 0.09-0.22 wt.%, mean 0.12±0.05 wt.%, N = 8), orthopyroxene (Fs_0.8-22.4Wo_0.5-3.2), pigeonite (Fs_22.9Wo_10.7), diopside (Fs_2.4Wo_39.3). Oxygen isotopes (K. Ziegler, UNM): analyses of acid-washed subsamples by laser fluorination gave (all in per mil): δ¹⁷O = 2.700, 2.988, 2.873; δ¹⁸O = 3.800, 4.255, 4.097; Δ¹⁷O = 0.694, 0.741, 0.710 (for a TFL slope of 0.528 per mil).
Classification: Ordinary chondrite (Type 3). The low metal content and freshness of this unequilibrated chondrite specimen are at odds with its oxygen isotopic composition, which plots on the trend for H chondrites. Estimation of subtype based on histograms of Cr₂O₃ distribution in ferroan olivine given in Fig. 4 of Grossman and Brearley (2005).

O isotopes:

Comment: Recent classificaitons have revealed a number of unequilbrated chondrites with low metal and istopes at odds with the olivine analysis. Querry -- could there be more than three types of "ordinary" chondrite?

Link to Meteoritical Bulletin Database.


# NWA8037-5-8	# NWA8037-6-0	# NWA8037-6-3	# NWA8037-6-5	About Scale: Each photo has a small one centimeter cube. That's a little less than a half inch on a side. The coin above is a US dime.
Weight: 5.8 gm	Weight: 6.0 gm	Weight: 6.3 gm	Weight: 6.5 gm
Features: Part Slice	Features: Part Slice	Features: Part Slice	Features: Part Slice
Price: $63	Price: $65	Price: $68	Price: $70


# NWA8037-6-6	# NWA8037-6-7	# NWA8037-6-71	# NWA8037-7-2	# NWA8037-7-21
Weight: 6.6 gm	Weight: 6.7 gm	Weight: 6.7 gm	Weight: 7.2 gm	Weight: 7.2 gm
Features: Part Slice	Features: Part Slice	Features: Part Slice	Features: Part Slice	Features: Part Slice
Price: $71	Price: $72	Price: $72	Price: $77	Price: $77


# NWA8037-34-7	# NWA8037-45-4	# NWA8037-54-8	# NWA8037-81-8	# NWA8037-93-2
Weight: 34.7 gm	Weight: 45.4 gm	Weight: 54.8 gm	Weight: 81.8 gm	Weight: 93.2 gm
Features: Slice	Features: Slice	Features: Slice	Features: Slice	Features: Slice
Price: $352	Price: $459	Price: $553	Price: $823	Price: $937