Description of a new meteorite to submit to the Nomenclature Committee for publication in the Meteoritical Bulletin.
NWA 4420 (Al Haggounia)
Proposed Name : Geographic Coordinates1 N 27°30', W 12°30' The coordinates are given for the center of the strewnfield which extends over about 40 km. Al Haggounia, Morocco Find: 2006 Major classification (group)4 Achondrite (primitive aubrite) History: Several tons of this material have been found on the floor or by digging the ground near Al Haggounia, south of Morocco (see Chennaoui et al. Met. Soc. Meeting, Tucson, 2007, for description of the strewn field) and sold to several dealers. Physical characteristics: it is impossible to assess precisely the amount of material already (and to be) recovered, but according to dealers and collectors (and what AJ has seen) it is about 3 tons. Many pieces of varied sizes (from 50 kg to a few g). The largest stones are recovered after digging. The outer surface is rusty brown due to severe alteration. Looks like a sedimentary breccia. cemented by iron oxide and carbonate. The inside is divided into polygonal pieces due to fractures filled with rust. Alteration starting from the fractures invades in changing the color from bluish gray to rusty brown close to the fractures. Yellow patches of sulfur (alteration) are widespread. The rocks appears significantly porous with pore sizes from several cm to hundreds of microns.. Petrography: A. Jambon, O. Boudouma and D. Badia. UPVI. Dominant enstatite and plagioclase. Troilite, graphite daubreelite, oldhamite, kamacite rich in Si, schreibersite Geochemistry: (EMP, SEM). Enstatite : En98Fs1Wo1; plagioclase Ab78An16Or5 Classification: Primitive achondrite (aubrite); similar and paired with NWA 002, 1067, 2736, 2828, 2965, (and possibly 4415, 4416, 4295 etc). Severe weathering Type specimens: A total of 50 g of sample and three polished sections are on deposit at UPVI. Main mass: Fred Béroud : 3886g, (26 pieces from 1185 g to 5.8 g). Philippe Thomas at Meteoritica: 4497g, (33 pieces from 11 to 1507 g) A. Hmani, Moroccan Imports : about 500 kg Ait Ouzrou (Agadir, Morocco) : about 500 kg
Al Haggounia strewnfield - photo credit to Dr A. Jambon
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