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Lot 1136

Angrite Complete Slice – A Meteorite from Mercury?

27 May 2010, 13:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$6,710 inc. premium

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Angrite Complete Slice – A Meteorite from Mercury?

NWA 4662
Achondrite
Morocco

Several mineralogical and structural characteristics point to Mercury as the origin for the Angrites; however, the evidence is insufficient to prove that Mercury is the parent body. In any case, this exceptionally rare type of achondrite meteorite is from a parent body much closer to the Sun than Earth. Angrites were formed as the result of a massive impact that penetrated to the mantle of the parent body and mixed crust and mantle materials together along with the impact body, which is thought to have been a very large iron meteorite.

The present specimen is a complete slice characterized by large polygonal grains of anorthite (dark purplish-gray material), shocked olivine (green to black material) and spinel (orange crystals) contained in a fine-grained matrix. It displays the orange grains of spinel standing out in sharp contrast to the other minerals. It also exhibits a pronounced schiller effect (lustrous color flashes arising from light refraction) as the slice is rotated in the light. (3) Weighs 8.98 grams; measures 43.5 x 38.4 x 2.3millimeters (1.5 x 1.75in)

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