[meteorite-list] Introducing NWA 3133, A Fantastic New Meteorite

From: j.divelbiss_at_att.net <j.divelbiss_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Oct 13 13:01:28 2004
Message-ID: <101320041701.14087.416D5F63000AD0470000370721602807419C9C070D040A90070BD206_at_att.net>

Adam, Stan and others:

This material definetly seems to be on course to being something very special. The posed questions about the CV3 relationship is intrigeuing to think about. Especially the comment about this being CV7 material when we don't have anything higher than say CV3.5 on record.

Maybe the parent for CV3 material never did differentiate, while another CV body did...giving us these two variations? If the CV3 material was a surface regolith on a differentiated body, then you/I would think we would have CV4's, 5 or 6 on record with all the material found in Antarctica and the deserts to date.

I know next to nothing about this stuff, so I can only imagine how I'd be feeling if it were my work to study such things.

Good luck to Stan and others who may end up with material that maybe paired to NWA 3133. Either with a new number, or an inference/add on to the TKW for NWA 3133 that goes along with a legitimate analysis.

I'm sure we'll be hearing/learning about this material for some time to come.

John



-------------- Original message from "Adam Hupe" : --------------

> Dear List,
>
> I would like to take this opportunity to announce NWA 3133, a one-of-a-kind
> Anomalous Primitive Achondrite found this year in the Sahara desert. Some
> may ask: OK, another Primitive Achondrite -- What is the big deal? First of
> all, primitive achondrites are more rare than planetary meteorites and
> anomalous specimens are among the rarest. Let me tell you the history of
> this material first and then try to explain its importance.
>
> NWA 3133 was first thought to be either a brachinite or a recrystallized
> chondrite prompting the two laboratories, Northern Arizona University and
> the University of Washington, to seek oxygen isotope testing, a way to
> determine its final classification. A specimen was submitted to the
> University of Western Ontario for this very purpose. The results were
> received in June and they plotted so far away from any known achondrite that
> one scientist had to ask, "How is this possible?" The results were so
> outrageous and potentially significant that it was decided to send out a
> second specimen for confirmation. The second specimen was sent blind to the
> Geophysical Laboratory in Washington D.C. for analysis. The results
> confirmed the important findings at the University of Western Ontario: NWA
> 3133 oxygen isotopes plot way further away from the Earth-Moon line than any
> known achondrite including NWA 011.
>
> Link to oxygen Isotope chart:
> http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa3133/nwa3133.jpg
>
> The oxygen isotope data for NWA 3133 plot directly on the mixing line for
> CV3 chondrites including the most studied meteorite in the world, Allende.
> A lot is known about CV type chondrites and equally substantial, a lot is
> not known. Scientists have been deliberating for a long time about
> carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies. This meteorite can serve
> to answer century-old questions like: Are CV chondrites really a regolith
> from a broken small planet-sized parent body? Was the original CV parent
> body differentiated with a metal core surrounded by a silicate-rich mantle
> and a chondrule-rich regolith? This specimen could give researchers the
> opportunity to study the inner workings of a failed small planet and is
> already causing a commotion among world-renowned scientists even before it
> has been formally announced.
>
> Here are a few comments made by scientists in regards to NWA 3133:
>
> "Am I jaded or what? I'm ignoring two new pieces of Mars and getting so
> worked up over pieces of a probably long-destroyed planetary body that may
> never be found in space. But I can guarantee the deepest interest in an
> isotope map of its extreme range of heterogeneity and, maybe a new advance
> in understanding the inner workings of small planets!"
>
> "This could be a very significant study and combined with your plans for
> additional isotope work, would probably result in a classic!"
>
> "Thanks for the opportunity to work on these amazing rocks!!!"
>
> "NWA 3133 could be regarded as the first known CV7 Chondrite, and may have
> been formed by metamorphic recrystallization (or perhaps by igneous
> processes) in the CV parent body."
>
> The scientific importance of this new meteorite cannot be overstated. More
> than 60 grams have already been provided as type specimens to two different
> institutions, at this point tripling the NomCom required amount. Three
> different stones totaling 2,373 grams belong to the NWA 3133 designation.
> All three of these specimens will be confirmed with oxygen isotopes before
> release, rightfully insuring their pedigree. This is a very important step
> needed to insure the provenance because there are other meteorites like
> brachinites and other primitive achondrites that could visually be mistaken
> for the real thing. If you see a specimen that does not come with an ID
> card identifying it as coming from "The Hupe Collection", then it is not NWA
> 3133, plain and simple. Some dealers have been engaging in number borrowing
> without having their samples authenticated by a NomCom authorized
> laboratory, so be sure to ask for documents proving that their material was
> submitted for study and is official when considering any rare meteorite from
> Northwest Africa. I make this statement now so that you know we are
> offering the real McCoy. This new meteorite is just too important to let
> the numbers game possibly slide on into the future on this one, as has
> happened in the past on other substantial Saharan finds. We collect main
> masses so the largest piece will remain in our collection. A portion was
> set aside to hopefully satisfy the collectors' market. When NWA 3133 is
> formally announced we are sure that trade offers will be accepted from
> institutions locking down the rest.
>
> Copyright Meteoritelab 2004
>
> To see NWA 3133 and other official items of interest please click on the
> link below and go to "Go see all current items for sale by this member." The
> weekly rare material specials are always listed last so you will have to go
> to the bottom of the list.
>
> http://members.ebay.com/ws2/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=meteoritelab
>
> Thank you for looking and if you are bidding, good luck
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> Adam and Greg Hupe
> The Hupe Collection
> Team LunarRock
> IMCA 2185
>
>
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Received on Wed 13 Oct 2004 01:01:24 PM PDT