Beschreibung:

Chondrite Ungrouped (CH-UNGR) Subtype 3.05 Western Sahara Another scientifically invaluable meteorite, NWA 5717 contains matter never before seen and provides a rare peek at the raw ingredients of which planetary bodies are comprised. These two attributes are why a 2010 abstract on NWA 5717 in the Journal of the Lunar and Planetary Conference was entitled, "The Extra-Ordinary Chondrite: NWA 5717." The vast majority of all meteorites are ordinary chondrites—stone meteorites that contain silica-rich inclusions referred to as chondrules. And the vast majority of all chondrites are metamorphosed—they changed as a result of exposure to heat and pressure thus obscuring their original composition. This is not the case with NWA 5717—the 5717th meteorite to be classified after being found in the Northwest African (NWA) corridor of the Sahara Desert. Unlike nearly all other meteorites, NWA 5717 is unchanged since the time of its formation. In addition, of the tens of thousands of chondritic meteorites known to exist, there are just 14 that do not fit into the protocols of classification. In effect, they are unclassifiable, and as a result have received the honorific "chondrites ungrouped" (CH-UNGR). NWA 5717 is also a member of this select class as it originated from a previously unknown parent body. Very little of NWA 5717 will be available to the collecting community, as the bulk of material is being distributed to the world's great meteorite collections. For the serious collector, now offered is a partial slice of a holy grail, a sample of some of the most primitive planetary material available. Measures 31 x 42 x 2mm (1.25 x 1.75 x 0.12 inches) and 9.06 grams