On Offer: 9.12 gram amazing HED achondrite howardite meteorite with official name NWA 18047.

Official Name: NWA 18047 (awaiting publication)

Type: HED Howardite

Description: 9.12 gram HED howardite polymict breccia end piece. Most meteorites classified as "howardite" are heavily brecciated with evidence of a high energy impact ejection event large enough to excavate material deep into the parent body's lower crust or upper mantle where the diogenitic components of the breccia are thought to be formed and exist. These high energy impact events are evidenced in this specimen by the existence of the diapplectic glass "maskelynite", which is a mineral glass created from plagioclase that has been transformed by intense impact shock waves. While olivine was not reported as a constituent in the analysis sample used for the classification of this polymict breccia, there appears to be some relatively large olivine mineral clasts visible in this specimen. Another very interesting feature of this meteorite fragment is that it displays extensive remnant glassy fusion crust on one side of the specimen.   

The HED Meteorites: The HED meteorite group is so named for the three types of meteorites that comprise the group; Howardite, Eucrite and Diogenite. The Eucrite and Diogenite are distinct meteorites, while the Howardite is a mix of the Eucrite and Diogenite lithologies. If there is more than 10 vol% of either eucritic or diogenitic material in the meteorite it is classified as a "howardite". The HEDs are differentiated achondrite meteorites thought to originate from the asteroid Vesta and the Vestoids. However, some researchers think they may have formed from a Vesta-like asteroid but not Vesta itself or the Vestoids. This is a controversial and not well accepted hypothesis, but it is supported by the following line of reasoning. Researchers find iron meteorites (asteroidal core material) with similar isotopic genetics as the HED achondrites, leading some (not many)researchers to conclude the HED meteorites come from a large Vestan-like body that was in a large enough collision to also liberate pat or all of its metal core. The idea is that if Vesta is still intact (we can see and visit it), it could not have had its core liberated to form the isotopically matching iron meteorites because it would have been obliterated and not exist anymore.

What you get: 9.12g Howardite meteorite specimen as shown, shipping/storage membrane box & signed Certificate of Authenticity.

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