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Tissint (Tata Morocco) Tissint 29°28.917’N, 7°36.674’W Tata, Morocco Fell: 18 July 2011 Classification: Martian meteorite (Shergottite) History: (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane
and A. Aaronson) At about 2 am local time on July 18, 2011, a bright
fireball was observed by several people in the region of the Oued Drâa
valley, east of Tata, Morocco. One eyewitness, Mr Aznid Lhou, reported
that it was at first yellow in color, and then turned green illuminating
all the area before it appeared to split into two parts. Two sonic
booms were heard over the valley. In October 2011, nomads began to find
very fresh, fusion-crusted stones in a remote area of the Oued Drâa
intermittent watershed, centered about 50 km ESE of Tata and 48 km SSW
of Tissint village, in the vicinity of the Oued El Gsaïb drainage and
also near El Ga’ïdat plateau known as Hmadat Boû Rba’ ine. The largest
stones were recovered in the El Ga’ïdat plateau, whereas the smallest
one (a few grams) closer to the El Aglâb Mountains. One 47 g crusted
stone was documented as being found at 29°28.917’ N, 7°36.674’ W. Physical characteristics: Several
fusion-crusted stones have been collected ranging from 1 to 987 g, with a
total weight of around 7 kg. The stones are almost completely coated by
glistening black fusion crust, characterized by thicker layers on
exterior ridges as well as much glossier regions (above interior olivine
macrocrysts). Some stones have thinner secondary fusion crust on some
surfaces. The crust on some stones has been broken in places to reveal
the interior, which appears overall pale gray in color with larger, very
pale yellow olivine macrocrysts, and sporadic small pockets and some
very thin veinlets of black glass. No terrestrial weathering is evident. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS):
Olivine macrocrysts (to 1.5 mm) and microphenocrysts (to 0.4 mm) are
set in a finer groundmass of patchily zoned pyroxene, plagioclase
(maskelynite), Ti-poor chromite, ilmenite, pyrrhotite and minor
merrillite. Both the larger olivine macrocrysts and smaller olivine
microphenocrysts exhibit thin ferroan rims against the groundmass, and
contain tiny chromite inclusions. Narrow ferroan zones also occur within
the interior of some olivine macrocrysts. Geochemistry: Olivine (cores of large macrocrysts Fa19.4-20.2, Fe/Mn=42-44; rims Fa43.2-60.4, Fe/Mn=50-55), cores of microphenocrysts Fa29.1-30.2, Fe/Mn=45-46; rims up to Fa53.3, Fe/Mn=53), orthopyroxene cores (Fs24.0-24.4Wo4.1-4.6, Fe/Mn=30-32), pigeonite (Fs26.1-51.6Wo11.9-16.9, Fe/Mn=31-35), subcalcic augite (Fs21.7-23.3Wo25.0-24.2, Fe/Mn=26-28), plagioclase (An61.1-64.3Or0.5-0.4). Oxygen isotopes (R. Tanaka, OkaU): analyses of acid-washed subsamples by laser fluorination gave, respectively δ17O = 2.849, 2.892; δ18O = 4.844, 4.943; Δ17O = 0.299, 0.290 per mil. Bulk composition (G. Chen and C. Herd, UAb)
ICPMS analysis of powdered interior material gave Sm/Nd=0.646,
indicating that this specimen has affinities with the depleted
compositional group of shergottites. Classification: Achondrite (Martian, olivine-phyric shergottite). Specimens: A total of 30.3 g of type material and one polished thin section are on deposit at UWS. Other known institutional specimens include 370 g (ASU) and 108 g (UNM). The remaining material is held by anonymous dealers and collectors.
Witnessed fall, July 2011 (Tata/Foumzgit Morocco)
Refer to the photo. The black centimeter cube is
shown for scale and is not included. Your specimen will be a small
sample of this meteorite as shown. Each specimen is unique, so it may
vary slightly in appearance from the one in the photo. Your specimen
will include a labeled gemjar for safe storage and a specimen ID card.
Two of the most exciting and collectible types of meteorites are witnessed falls and planetaries (lunars and martians). Naturally, meteorite enthusiasts love witnessed fall planetaries, and there have only been four of these meteorites in history. All four of these meteorites are Martians - Chassigny (1815, France), Shergotty (1865, India), Nakhla (1911, Egypt), and Zagami (1962, Nigeria). Of these four, Zagami is the only one that is readily available on the collector market. Chassigny is the "type specimen" for all Chassignite Martian meteorites. Likewise, Shergotty is the type specimen for all Shergottites, and Nakhla is the type specimen for all Nakhlites.
Every experienced collector knows that Shergotty, Chassigny, and Nakhla are very hard to acquire and are fantastically expensive. Most collectors who want to add a witnessed fall planetary to their collection must settle for a small piece of Zagami, a Martian shergottite that fell to Earth in Nigeria in 1962. Since Zagami, there has not been another witnessed fall of a Martian meteorite...until July 2011.
In July 2011, near Foumzgit in the Tata region of Morocco, a fireball was witnessed by desert nomads. Little did anyone know at the time, but that fireball heralded the arrival of a truly historic meteorite. There were witnesses who heard an explosion and other sounds when the meteorite broke apart in flight. When the first pieces of this meteorite were found, it was obvious that this space rock was not your typical ordinary chondrite. It had the unmistakeable glossy black fusion crust of an achondrite, and the exposed areas of the matrix showed a pristine grey material that was entirely devoid of chondrules or metal flecks. Excitement started to build when experienced hunters recognized these new stones as Martian meteorites.
For the first time in nearly fifty years, a chunk of the planet Mars had crashed to Earth and was recovered. Hunters, dealers, brokers, and investors went berserk over this new fall. The existence of this new meteorite was kept secret while hunters scoured the strewnfield for specimens. It was not until the last month that the existence of this meteorite was confirmed and it started to appear on the collector market.
In addition to the frenzy amongst collectors, scientists are very excited about this new Martian. Unlike all other Martians on the market, this new meteorite is fresh and pristine because it was recovered before terrestrial weathering could contaminate the material. This meteorite represents the freshest samples of the planet Mars ever to find it's way into the hands of science. Dr. Anthony Irving at the University of Washington is currently analyzing this meteorite for the Meteoritical Society and the official classification is expected to be finished very soon. Preliminary examinations have revealed that this meteorite is a shergottite and the provisional name is "Tata", although this is not expected to be the final official name.
According to reports, these is a scant 1-2 kilograms of this material on the collector market, and much of the overall TKW (approx. 8-9 kilos?) has already been allocated to institutions for study. Wealthy collectors have also snapped up the largest remaining pieces and the rest of this material is vanishing quickly into collections. I have managed to acquire a small amount of this new Martian meteorite and I am offering it to collectors. Now is your chance to own a pristine piece of the planet Mars!
From the official Meteoritical Bulletin entry for Tissint :
