[meteorite-list] Brecciated Lodranite - NWA 4478 - AD

From: Greg Hupe <gmhupe_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:43:06 -0400
Message-ID: <004201c7feeb$8618f260$0200a8c0_at_Gregor>

Dear List Members,

It is my pleasure to announce a new Brecciated Lodranite, NWA 4478, the
World's First! I obtained this fantastic meteorite over a year ago so the
scientists have had plenty of time to unlock the secrets of this important
new one-of-a-kind lodranite. I am offering what I have directly to List
members on a first-come first-served basis instead of going through eBay.
Whoever emails me their First, Second and/or Third choices the quickest
will "win" that specimen. I suggest using second and third choices in case
someone beats you to your first choice. I will be going by the time your
email is received and will notify winners as quick as I can so you will
know what choice you won. The selection of specimens are below the
classification
in this email.

Here is the description classification:
NWA 4478, the "World's First Brecciated Lodranite." This impossibly rare
meteorite was first discovered in September 2006 and consists of two stones
totaling just 444 grams, the official Total Known Weight (TKW). I waited
over a year so the scientists could perform a magnitude of tests to unlock
the amazing details of this very collectible meteorite. Lodranites are
extremely rare with only a handful discovered to date (most are
unobtainable
Antarctic specimens), making NWA 4478 one of the rarest meteorites ever
discovered! While non-brecciated lodranites are demanding up to $1,000.00
per gram or more, NWA 4478 "Brecciated" lodranite is priced well below
 that,
providing an excellent value. This incredible meteorite polishes to a high
luster and every specimen comes with a color identification card from the
Hup? Collection.

Link to published Meteoritical Society abstract on NWA 4478:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2007/pdf/5129.pdf

Beautiful image of 16.7 gram complete slice (SOLD):
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa4478/nwa4478slice.jpg

Image of 93.6 gram Main Mass:
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa4478/nwa4478mainmass.jpg

Optical thin section image in cross-polarized light:
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa4478/nwa4478ts.jpg

Here is the NomCom Approved classification accepted for the Meteoritical
Bulletin:
==================================================================================
Northwest Africa 4478
Algeria
Find: September 2006
Achondrite (lodranite breccia)

History: Purchased by Greg Hup? in September 2006 from a Moroccan dealer in
Zagora.
Physical characteristics: Two dense, brown stones (298 g and 146 g) lacking
 fusion crust.
Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) This unusual specimen is a
 breccia composed of mineral and polycrystalline clasts (up to 8 mm across)
 with interstitial comminuted debris of the same phases. Large mineral
 clasts consist of either olivine or orthopyroxene (with clinopyroxene
 exsolution lamellae associated with blebs of Ni-free iron metal). The
lithic clasts consist mainly of coarse interlocking olivine grains (up to 3
mm across) and sparse large chromite grains with interstitial (apparently
intercumulus) clinopyroxene (some with orthopyroxene exsolution lamellae),
orthopyroxene, kamacite, pyrrhotite, pentlandite and troilite. The modal
abundance of metal (+ limonite after primary metal) measured by BSE imaging
on a large polished slice is 5 vol.%. Plagioclase is absent. Olivine
grains contain numerous blebby to worm-like polycrystalline inclusions
composed of clinopyroxene+chromite+orthopyroxene+pentlandite, and
clinopyroxene grains contain similar inclusions composed of
orthopyroxene+chromite+kamacite; some examples exhibit symplectitic
intergrowths of these various phases. Some olivine grains contain multiple
blade-like lamellae of another olivine phase with different composition.
Narrow elongate zones or discontinuous veinlets of metal are present within
clinopyroxene, and adjacent to such metal the pyroxene has a more magnesian
composition.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa10.6-10.9, FeO/MnO = 22.1-23.9), olivine lamella
in
olivine (Fa9.8), clinopyroxene (Fs3.9Wo41.9, FeO/MnO = 10.2), orthopyroxene
lamella in clinopyroxene (Fs9.1Wo1.3, FeO/MnO = 11.9), chromite (Cr/(Cr+Al)
= 0.822-0.825, Mg/(Mg+Fe) = 0.506 - 0.520, TiO2 = 0.31-0.37 wt.%) Oxygen
Isotopes (D. Rumble, CIW): quadruplicate analyses of acid-washed silicate
material by laser fluorination gave, respectively, d18O = 2.23, 2.43, 2.23,
2.40; d17O = 0.14, 0.30, 0.07, 0.11; D17O = -1.034, -0.984, -1.107, -1.147
per mil.

Classification: Achondrite (lodranite breccia). Primary clast textures,
grain sizes, mineral compositions and oxygen isotopic compositions indicate
that this specimen is a lodranite, and represents the first known
brecciated
example. The polyphase inclusions within mafic minerals are similar to
those described in lodranite-like achondrite QUE 93148 by Goodrich and
Righter (2000); along with the lamellae in olivine and metal-rich zones
within pyroxene, these features may indicate an episode of reduction after
the formation of the primary assemblage.

Specimens: A total of 20.1 g of sample and one polished thin section are on
deposit at UWS. Mr. G. M. Hup? holds the main mass.

Goodrich, C. A. and Righter, K. (2000) Petrology of unique achondrite Queen
Alexandra Range 93148: A piece of the pallasite
(howardite-eucrite-diogenite?) parent body? Meteoritics Planet. Sci. 35,
521-536.
==================================================================================

Available Specimens of NWA 4478 Brecciated Lodranite (largest to smallest):
93.6g Main Mass, $18,000.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa4478/nwa4478mainmass.jpg
34.7g ec, $8995.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00001.jpg
16g cs, $4,795.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00002.jpg
12.8g cs, $3,795.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00003.jpg
11.4g ec, $3,395.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00004.jpg
11.3g cs, $3,395.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00005.jpg
10.1g ps, $2,995.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00006.jpg
10g cs, $2,995.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00007.jpg
9.2g ps, $2,990.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00008.jpg
8.6g ps, $2,795.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00009.jpg
8.5g cs, $2,762.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00010.jpg
7.858g ec, $2,750.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00011.jpg
7.7g ps, $2,695.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00012.jpg
7.4g ps, $2,590.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00013.jpg
6.1g ps, $2,287.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00014.jpg
5.378g ps, $1,995.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00015.jpg
3.692g ps, $1,475.00 (SOLD)
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00016.jpg
3.288g ps, $1,315.00 (SOLD)
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00017.jpg
3.124g ps, $1,250.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00018.jpg
3.1g ps, $1,240.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00019.jpg
2.762g ps, $1,174.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00020.jpg
2.142g ps, $910.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00021.jpg
1.976g ps, $840.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00022.jpg
1.820g ps, $773.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00023.jpg
1.552g ps, $698.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00024.jpg
1.5g ps, $675.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00025.jpg
1.438g ps, $647.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00026.jpg
1.252g ps, $563.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00027.jpg
1.108g polished fragment, $498.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00028.jpg
1.046g ps, $470.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00029.jpg
896mg ps, $403.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00030.jpg
780mg unpolished ps, $370.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00031.jpg
766mg ps, $364.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00032.jpg
630mg ps, $299.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00033.jpg
556mg polished fragment, $264.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00034.jpg
526mg ps, 250.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00035.jpg
472mg ps, $236.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00036.jpg
462mg polished fragment, $231.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00037.jpg
458mg ps, $229.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00038.jpg
364mg ps #1, $182.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00039.jpg
364mg ps #2, $182.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00040.jpg
352mg ps, $176.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00041.jpg
336.00 ps, $168.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00042.jpg
246mg ps, $123.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00043.jpg
212mg ps, $106.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00044.jpg
158mg ps, $79.00
http://www.lunarrock.com/ebay/9-17/dsc00045.jpg
cs - complete slice
ps - part slice
ec - end cut

If you are interested in any of the above specimens, please email me quickly
in order to reserve your top choices. If you are just looking, please enjoy!

Best regards and "Thank You" for considering these,
Greg
====================
Greg Hupe
The Hupe Collection
NaturesVault (eBay)
gmhupe at htn.net
www.LunarRock.com
IMCA 3163
====================
Received on Mon 24 Sep 2007 04:43:06 PM PDT