Zag meteorite. Observed fall, H3-6 chondrite. Endcut
Weight | 15,6 grams |
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Observed fall | Western Sahara, 4 or 5 August 1998 |
$150
Out of stock
Description
On August 4th or 5th 1998, a meteorite fall was witnessed on a mountain near of Zag, Morocco, in the border with Western Sahara. Around 175 kg were found and subsequently sold by locals. Zag is an ordinary chondrite H3-6 and regolith breccia. Zag is believed to have originated from the parent body 6 Hebe, an asteroid with an orbit resonant with that of Earth. However, Zag is special for its halite crystals and clasts.
Let’s start with the clasts. In the study, “A novel organic-rich meteoritic clast from the outer solar system,” scientists have reported the results of organic and isotope analyses of the Zag meteorite. They examined a centimeter-sized clast in the middle of a specimen revealing that it was formed in extremely cold conditions, possibly in the interstellar medium or the outer reaches of the solar nebula as the Solar System was forming.
Zag is extremely unique as it contains halite (blue salt crystals) that formed at the birth of our Solar System. This indicates that the ingredients required for the origin of life may have existed at a very early period of Solar System formation. It is hypothesized that the decay of the radioactive material within the original parent body provided enough heat energy such that the water ice present melted and evaporated, leaving the salt crystals, composed of halite, behind. Within these halite crystals are very small inclusions that contain water. To confirm the extraterrestrial origin of the water, Xenon, Iodine, and Argon isotopes were measured. A large amount of Xenon-129 was found. Xenon-129 forms when Iodine-129 decays and Iodine-129 was in existence in the early Solar System – it is not found on Earth today. Using the half life of Iodine-129, the researchers were able to date the salt crystals as being 4570 million years old, being the age of the Solar System 4571 million years.
For sale a Zag meteorite individual mainly covered in fusion crust.
Certificate of authenticity included. IMCA 5591.
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