[meteorite-list] Meteorites most resistant to oxidation?

[Adam Hupe]

Dear List,

Mike wrote:

I bet Adam thought he had a lunar with that one.


Luckily, I first saw NWA 5234 in bright sunlight and had a loop handy.  I knew 
from looking at the less shocked basaltic portions that it wasn't lunar. 
Admittedly, the translucent crust did make my heart skip at first.  The Moroccan 
dealer believed me when I told him it wasn't a lunar but I still paid a hefty 
price since it was different.  It reminded me of a Cat Mountain version of an 
achondrite.

An interesting note is that this same dealer had a large weathered Martian 
Shergottite in the same pile as NWA 5234.  After observing the sparkling 
Masklenite on a broken surface, I told him what I thought it was and then his 
asking price went through the roof.  I could have said nothing and got it for a 
decent price but I do not operate this way. Although the Shergottite looked 
badly weathered on the outside, I observed slices of it several months later 
after another dealer purchased it and cut it into slices. The interior portion 
looked very fresh once you got past the weathering rind.  I guess you cannot 
judge a book by its cover.


Best Regards,

Adam