NORTHWEST AFRICA 14500

A 28.2 g meteorite was found in Northwest Africa and subsequently purchased by F. Kuntz from a dealer in Tindouf, Algeria. A sample was sent to CEREGE (European Centre for Research and Teaching in Environmental Geosciences) for analysis and classification (J. Gattacceca and C. Sonzogni), and NWA 14500 was classified as an ungrouped achondrite. Although NWA 14500 has mineralogical and geochemical affinities to the L chondrite group, both its O-isotope composition, which plots in the acapulcoite–lodranite clan field (see diagram below), and its high metal content exclude such a relationship.

Northwest Africa 14500 has a coarse granoblastic texture consisting of millimetric orthopyroxene and olivine grains (63 vol%), smaller albitic alkali feldspar grains (15 vol% [An0.0 (±0.0), Ab95.0 (±0.2), Or5.0 (±0.2)]), irregular-shaped FeNi-metal (20 vol%), troilite (3.5 vol%), and accessory chromite (J. Gattacceca, MetBull 111). Both sides of a 3.20 g slice of NWA 14500 are shown above and at the top below, photographed by Fabien Kuntz. The high-resolution photo shown below is part of the Meteoritical Bulletin Database write-up by J. Gattacceca.