[meteorite-list] Nicest looking NWA I have ever seen: NWA 1685

[bernd.pauli at paulinet.de]

Steve Arnold wrote:

"The nicest nwa I have ever had the pleasure to put into
 my collection, NWA 1685, came into my collection today.
 A 197 gram individual from Roman Jirasek."

NWA 1685 is truly a stunning meteorite. Two individuals weighing
131 grams and 251.3 grams (cut in two halves by Dean) + two thin
sections (also from Dean) are in my collection.

Steve Arnold also wrote: "the great looking black fusion crust"

This meteorite's fusion crust even has a shiny, slightly "wet"
look as if it was the crust of an achondrite!

And furtheron:

"This is one that will go down as one of the best
 looking NWA to ever come out of Northwest Africa."

Maybe you are right because here is what I wrote
about one of my thin sections:

Both in hand specimen as in thin section there are areas that are absolutely
featureless, devoid of any chondrules or other inclusions, and look almost
achondritic. The view under crossed polars is breathtaking: While there are
chondrules and mineral components of various sizes in a fine-grained, almost
opaque groundmass, the featureless clast in my TS shows an incredible, equi-
granular structure without any fine-grained, interstitial groundmass as if it
had been "blown" or "swept" away. Instead, hundreds and hundreds of colorful
little crystalline pearls (of olivine and pyroxene) that look as if seen from
a distance.

Now, 197 grams, ... Aha! I am pretty sure this is one of Dean's BL's (B = black
i.e. black crust, L because Dean thought it was an L or an maybe an LL chondrite
and if it is, I also know who the original owner was: Someone whose first name
is John ;-) How do I know? Well, I painstakingly recorded the names of those
who purchased a piece and were willing to let me know. Including myself, I still
have the names of at least 33 "original" owners + all the mails we exchanged ;-)

A funny comment from Dean may suffice:

"Boy I have had a busy day. Almost all of that meteorite is sold.
31 of 37 offerings are gone. I must have seriously underpriced it."


Best wishes,

Bernd

.. oh, by the way, its brecciation is terrific! Unfortunately it is still
provisional but it is one that should really be classified because it does
deserve a number!