Lot 839
A Piece of the Planet Mars. Most offerings of Martian meteorites are just a few grains due to the high value of these very rare meteorites. This .7" x .6" .656 gram section of Dar al Gani 489 is large enough to hold in your hand and examine without the use of a magnifying glass. The entire stony meteorite weighed 2.146 Kg and was found in the Sahara desert of Libya in 1997. Classified as a Martian Basalt (Shegottite) by Dr. Ian Franchi of the United Kingdom, the analysis of its oxygen isotopes identified it as a Martian meteorite. The specimen is a dark gray in color with light gray and black inclusions. The Matian rock was a basalt rock originally formed by a Martian volcano and blasted into space when a large asteroid impacted the Martian surface millions of years ago. A very small number of rocks from this impact found their way to Earth after traveling in outer space for several million years. This particular meteorite was only the 14th Martian meteorite found and identified. Since then a few more meteorites have been identified as originating from the planet Mars, but many of the Martian meteorites are in museums and are unavailable to collectors. This very valuable meteorite section is protected by a 4" x 3" Ryker mount. Add $15 for domestic shipping.
Estimated Value $800 - 1,200.
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| Realized $863 |
