Description: Ait Saoun (EH3) **Introduction:** Ait Saoun is a newly classified meteorite that fell near a small village bearing the same name in Morocco. This meteorite has been identified as an EH3 chondrite based on comprehensive analyses following its fall. The event, marked by a spectacular fireball, has attracted significant attention from both the scientific community and meteorite enthusiasts. **Event Details:** On the evening of August 6, 2024, at approximately 10:45 PM, a brilliant fireball streaked across the night sky above Ait Saoun. This celestial event was not only visible but also audible, as locals reported hearing a resounding explosion. The phenomenon captured the interest of onlookers across the Sahara Desert, setting the stage for a significant meteorite discovery the following day. **Discovery and Recovery:** The morning following the fireball's appearance, eager meteorite hunters descended upon the region in search of fragments. Their efforts proved fruitful as the first pieces were located within hours of the initial sighting. The announcement of the meteorite fall sparked a surge of activity, culminating in the collection of approximately 1-2 kilograms of fresh meteorites over several weeks. These discoveries included numerous small fragments, some of which displayed orientation and were characterized by glossy, shimmering fusion crusts. **Classification:** Initially thought to be a rare carbonaceous meteorite, further analysis revealed Ait Saoun to be a unique example of an EH3/4 chondrite. This classification highlights its significance in the study of the solar system's early materials, making it a valuable specimen for both research and collection. The classification is still pending with the meteoritical bulletin and should be uploaded in the next few weeks. **Featured Specimen:** We are pleased to offer a stunning 1.401 gram oriented fragment of the Ait Saoun meteorite. This particular piece exhibits ultra-fresh iridescent fusion crust and showcases a remarkably preserved matrix that reveals dense chondrules. The aesthetic appeal of this fragment is enhanced by its vibrant colors and textures, making it an excellent addition to any collection. **Authentication and Presentation:** Each Ait Saoun meteorite fragment comes with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) and is elegantly displayed in a protective case. This ensures that collectors can appreciate not only the beauty of the specimen but also its provenance and scientific significance. **Conclusion:** The Ait Saoun meteorite represents more than just a rare collectible; it provides a window into our solar systems history and the processes that shaped it. With its stunning features and scientific importance, Ait Saoun is a must-have for collectors and enthusiasts alike. Dont miss your chance to own a piece of the cosmos from this extraordinary event. Name: Ait Saoun This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name. Abbreviation: There is no official abbreviation for this meteorite. Observed fall: Yes, confirmed fall Year fell: 2024 Country: Morocco Mass: 4 kg Ait Saoun 30.7325 N, -6.6339 W South, Morocco Confirmed fall: 2024 Aug 06 Classification: Enstatite chondrite (EH3) History: (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane, FSAC, ATTARIK Foundation, A. Aaronson, Morocco). At 9:42 PM Moroccan time (GMT+1) on 6 August 2024, multiple eyewitnesses from different regions of Morocco witnessed a bright meteor traveling approximately from the WNW to ESE. The meteor was captured by an all-sky camera installed at the Oukaimeden Observatory in the High Atlas (Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech). A field mission was conducted by Prof. H. Chennaoui, M. Aoudjehane, and M. Aboulahris (FSAC, ATTARIK) on August 13 and 14 to collect testimonies and coordinates of the pieces found. A. Aid, M. Aid, Ali, M. Elkouch, Idir, and S. Youssefi helped with the fieldwork. Witnesses from Agoudal, Ouarzazate, Tazenakht, Taoudant, Tiznit, Zagora, and Ait Saoun reported seeing a bluish fireball with red streaks lasting 2 to 3 s. Distant witnesses only described an explosion, whereas those from Ait Saoun reported three powerful explosions followed by a fourth bigger one and a sharp whistling sound. All witnesses mentioned a thunder-like rumble and vibrations similar to an earthquake. The villagers of Ait Saoun and nearby areas reported a strong sulfur odor that filled the region for several hours. The first stones were found the next morning in the village of Ait Saoun, surrounding fields, and residents homes. Hundreds of people flocked to Ait Saoun and its surroundings to search for pieces of the meteorite. Many small fragments of a few grams were found, along with a few rarer, larger ones. The coordinates of some recovered pieces were recorded on the Ouarzazate map (1:100,000) and Google Earth, and the trajectory closely matches the eyewitness reports and the path captured by the all-sky camera. The strewnfield is approximately 6 0.5 km. The coordinates provided here are close to the centroid of the strewnfield. Physical characteristics: (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane, FSAC, ATTARIK Foundation). Many small pieces of less than 1 g, a few from 1 to 10 g, and rare bigger pieces and stones. The biggest sample reported so far is 96 g. The estimated total mass is nearly 4 kg. Complete stones are covered with a shiny thin, black fusion crust. The rear part of some oriented stones shows a yellowish-green, foamy and bubbly fusion crust. The interior is gray with abundant well-defined chondrules, some to 2 mm. A few light-colored grains of irregular shapes are also present. Metal is not visible, but fine sulfide grains can be identified. The samples observed in the field emit a sulfurous odor. The rock is relatively fragile and crumbly hence many of them broke upon impact into a gray powder. The meteorite has a high magnetic susceptibility log ( 10-9 m3/kg) = 5.32-5.50 (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane, FSAC, A. Irving, UWS). Petrography: (M. Spilde and C. Agee, UNM; L. Garvie, ASU; A. Irving, UWS; P. Carpenter, WUSL). Optical and scanning electron microscopy show that the meteorite is dominated by sharply defined chondrules, silicate fragments, metal, and sulfides. Porphyritic pyroxene chondrules are most common. The average chondrule diameter is 391185 m (n=14). Feldspathic glass/mesostasis is also present. Electron microprobe analyses confirm that enstatite is the dominant silicate, with minor olivine, more ferroan low-Ca pyroxene, aluminous diopside, albite, and a silica polymorph. Silica is locally abundant as grains up to 60 m. A typical 2 2 mm region contains 14 areal% sulfides and 11 areal% metal. Prominent are layered metal-sulfide nodules to 300 m, dominated by Si-bearing kamacite, Cr-rich troilite, oldhamite, niningerite, and lesser graphite, albite, Na-Si-S-O, K-rich silicate, schreibersite, nickelphosphide, and a Cr sulfide. The albite in the metal-sulfide nodules is close to endmember NaAlSi3O8. One 20 5 m Al-Mg-spinel-rich inclusion was identified. Oldhamite and niningerite are common in the metal-sulfide nodules and as isolated grains between the silicates. Oldhamite is nearly pure CaS, with grains up to 270 200 m, many containing abundant, rounded, <10 m-sized inclusions of schreibersite. Niningerite is common as anhedral grains up to 150 100 m and typically hosts abundant oriented lamellae of Cr-rich troilite. Roedderite is present. Bulk powder X-ray diffraction of the meteorite shows intense reflections for clinoenstatite, orthopyroxene, troilite, and kamacite, and medium-intensity reflections for olivine, niningerite, oldhamite, and schreibersite. Graphite is present in the metal as rounded grains up to 20 m. Troilite grains in the metal-sulfide nodules and between the chondrules are equant with a narrow grain size near 20 m. In addition, there is an abundant minor phase that, by standardless EDS, shows roughly equal proportions of Na-Si-S-O. Ten grains were analyzed and they all have similar element proportions. This material occurs as well-defined, anhedral grains up to 140 60 m in the metal-sulfide nodules and the surrounding silicates. Geochemistry: (M. Spilde and C. Agee, UNM; P. Carpenter, WUSL) Enstatite Fs1.51.1Wo0.40.2, Al2O3=0.280.15 (wt%), Cr2O3=0.290.11 (wt%), n=13; ferroan low-Ca pyroxene Fs17.35.8Wo0.70.5, n=4; forsterite Fa1.31.3, range Fa0.4-3.6, N=9; aluminous augite Fs2.0Wo42.8, Al2O3=9.6 (wt%), n=1; albite Ab92.6Or7.3, n=1; feldspathic glass SiO2=58.412.4, Al2O3=21.35.9, CaO=9.83.7, Na2O=3.80.6, MgO=4.92.2 (wt%); oldhamite Ca=52.52.0, Fe=2.11.7, S=42.30.5 (wt%), n=4; niningerite Mg=24.32.1, Fe=18.72.6, Mn=7.80.7, S=47.70.8 (wt%), n=3; Cr-bearing troilite Cr=1.30.4 (wt%), n=3; kamacite Ni=7.10.9, Co=0.5, Si=2.90.1 (wt%), n=5; schreibersite Fe=69.83.2, Ni=14.83.3, P=14.80.1 (wt%), n=2. Oxygen isotopes (K. Ziegler, UNM): Seven fragments analyzed by laser fluorination gave, respectively 18O= 5.083, 5.972, 5.421, 6.337, 6.144, 6.374, 6.510; 17O= 2.654, 3.117, 2.802, 3.281, 3.325, 4.158, 3.404; 17O= -0.029, -0.036, -0.060, -0.065, 0.081, 0.793, -0.033 (linearized, all per mil, TFL slope=0.528). The outlying oxygen isotopic composition value is analytically correct. Classification: Enstatite chondrite, EH3, shock low, W0, Petrologic grade 3 based on Si-content of kamacite, abundant chondrules with well-defined boundaries, and presence of feldspathic glass/mesostasis in some of the chondrules, Specimens: A total of 336 g with Aaronson a piece of 96 g, a piece of 19.76 g, and 220 g of small stones less than 4 g. A total of 330 g with M. Lyon mostly small including a 38 g piece, a 29 g, a 27 g, a 19 g, and many pieces below 10 g. A total of 375 g with WangZ. A total of 40 g (30 g + 10 g) with ATTARIK Foundation. Type specimen locations: UNM 13.8 g including one polished probe mount (7.4 g from A. Habibi, 6.4 g from Aaronson); UWS 20.0 g including one polished thin section and one polished mount (from WangZ); ASU 46.3 g (6.3 g from Aaronson, 40.0 g M. Lyon); FSAC 4.3 g (3.1 g from Aaronson, 0.8 g from A. Aid, 0.4 g from M. Oulkouch). The EH 3/4 meteorite classification refers to a specific type of enstatite chondrite, which is one of the more primitive classes of meteorites. These meteorites are rich in enstatite (a type of pyroxene) and typically contain minimal amounts of other minerals. The EH (high iron) chondrites, particularly, have a greater abundance of metallic Fe-Ni than their EL (low iron) counterparts. Significance and Relation to Mercury: 1. **Composition**: The chemical composition of EH chondrites shows a resemblance to the surface materials found on planet Mercury. The presence of high metal content, particularly the iron and nickel, aligns with what we observe on Mercurys surface, which has a notably high metallic composition compared to other rocky bodies in the solar system. 2. **Formation and Origin**: There is a hypothesis that suggests that enstatite chondrites, including EH types, may originate from the innermost regions of the solar system, including areas that were thermally alteredpotentially even related to Mercury itself. Studies of these meteorites help scientists understand the building blocks of terrestrial planets and the processes that led to their formation, including planetary differentiation and core formation. 3. **Planetary Analog**: Mercury is unique among the terrestrial planets due to its large iron core relative to its size. The EH chondrites provide insights into this aspect as their mineralogical compositions may reflect some of the processes occurring during the formation of Mercury itself. Some researchers consider these meteorites as analogs for understanding the geology and composition of Mercury, potentially supporting the idea that these meteorites represent remnants of the material that formed the planet. Research and Studies: Recent research has utilized both laboratory studies of meteorites and data from space missions (such as NASA's MESSENGER mission) to draw comparisons between the geochemical properties of EH chondrites and Mercury's surface data. This ongoing investigation is critical not just for understanding meteorite origins but also for deeper insights into the formation and evolution of Mercury and other inner solar system bodies. In summary, EH 3/4 meteorites are not just of interest for their compositional properties; they also play a significant role in advancing our understanding of how planetary bodies like Mercury formed and evolved in the early solar system.
Price: 275 USD
Location: Riverside, California
End Time: 2025-01-19T07:41:33.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Country/Region of Manufacture: Morocco
