Lot 818
Three Different Types of Vesta Meteorites. The moon, Mars and Vesta are the only planetary bodies in our solar system where we can positively identify meteorites that originated from their surface. Vesta is a very large asteroid with a diameter of over 326 miles and has a gigantic impact crater at its South Pole that is so deep that it exposes the asteroid's interior. With the photos that have come from Vesta, this huge crater is now confirmed and has been identified, using a spectograph,as the source for the three types of meteorites from Vesta. NWA 1646 is a brecciated cumulate Eucrite that formed from the impact of a large asteroid that hit Vesta. This large 2.25X1 inch full slice weighs 8 grams and shows a mixture of the surface rocks from Vesta with white and dark gray inclusions in a dark gray matrix. The second meteorite type is called Howardite and comes from a deeper part of the impact crater. NWA 2696 is a complete 1.5X1 inch fragment weighing 17.3 grams being a uniform dark gray color with a fresh dark brown fusion crust layer on its top side. The third type of meteorite is called an Olivine Diogenite which comes from very deep inside the huge impact crater. NWA 5480 was found in 2008 is a 1X.75 inch end cut polished on one side and its naturals surface on the other. This lovely green meteorite has a high olivine content and flecks of iron indicating that it is virtually a virgin rock from Vesta that has not been distorted by high temperature. These three important meteorite specimens tell a story about an event that happened billions of years ago at the south pole of Vesta in the asteroid belt. Presented in a 8 X 6 inch Riker mount. Estimated Value $600 - 850
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| Realized $840 |
