[meteorite-list] NEW - Intriguing Ungrouped Achondrite - NWA 6704

[Greg Hupé]

Dear List Members,

Over the last four months I have been reorganizing my company to make things 
easier for me in order to better serve the meteorite community.
To start my official Grand Re-Opening, I have the honor and privilege to 
introduce to you...


Northwest Africa 6704...
...a 'most intriguing' New Ungrouped Achondrite.

NWA 6704 is a most intriguing meteorite unlike any others known to man! Not 
only does it have tremendous scientific value, it is one of the most 
visually appealing meteorites with its dazzling display of yellowish-green 
orthopyroxene crystals containing small grains of olivine and chromite 
surrounded by large intercumulus grains of albite enclosing small grains of 
awaruite (a rare very nickel-rich metal alloy). Oxygen isotope results plot 
this achondrite within the field for acapulcoites-lodranites, but that is 
where any comparison stops. NWA 6704 is unlike any other meteorite! If that 
isn’t enough, this incredible meteorite contains an abundance of ‘bubble 
trains’ within the orthopyroxene which appear to be devoid of fluid upon 
initial inspection. Ongoing analyses are currently being performed to 
measure the cosmogenic noble gases to determine its CRE age (time spent in 
space) and to possibly detect trapped gases or even atmosphere from the NWA 
6704 parent body!

Close-up image of the NWA 6704 matrix:
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa6704/nwa6704matrix.jpg

Bubble trains and cleavages in orthopyroxene (width of field 0.593 mm)
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa6704/nwa6704bubbleTrain1.jpg

Bubble trains and cleavages in orthopyroxene (width of field 0.237 mm)
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa6704/nwa6704bubbleTrain2.jpg

NWA 6704 has a Total Known Weight of 8387 grams in a single, naturally 
fractured stone that was discovered in Northwest Africa in 2010. In their 
eagerness to see what was ‘inside’ the stone, the Algerian finders 
unfortunately broke the largest pieces, as can be seen in the image of the 
reassembled stone below. Also visible are the natural breaks along extended 
segment boundaries which have been sandblasted over time in the Sahara, 
smoothing the edges on the largest pieces and a more ‘rounding’ of the 
smaller fragments. Oddly, NWA 6704 is almost entirely devoid of visible 
fusion crust; only a single 1.5cm x 2cm patch exists, raising questions as 
to how this can be. Through a determined effort over a four month period, 
the distributed parts were purchased by Greg Hupé and reassembled into a 
single stone resembling a ‘puzzle’. It is remarkable that the finders were 
able to collect even the smallest of fragments!

Reassembled mass of the NWA 6704 ‘puzzle’ meteorite (measures 27cm x 16cm x 
14cm):
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa6704/nwa6704complete1.jpg

Close-up image of only fusion crust ‘patch’ on NWA 6704 (measures 1.2cm x 
2cm):
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa6704/nwa6704crust1.jpg

Thin section image of NWA 6704 in cross-polarized light (width of field 5 
mm):
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa6704/nwa6704ThinSection1.jpg

Officially accepted classification of NWA 6704 entered in the Meteoritical 
Bulletin:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=53609
(Note: the TKW is 8387 grams with 42 pieces, entry errors should be 
corrected soon).

Best Regards,
Greg

====================
Greg Hupé
The Hupé Collection
gmhupe at centurylink.net
www.LunarRock.com
NaturesVault (eBay)
AncientDiscoveries (eBay)(formerly 'NaturesVault')
IMCA 3163
====================
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