Meteorite | Erg Chech 002 | Achondrite | 189,85g

Product detailed description

May 2020. The Erg Chech [ɜːg ʃɛʃ] region in the western Sahara. After months of searching, a group of explorers stumbles upon a hard object in the endless sea of sand. Once uncovered, it is clear that this find will go down in history. There in front of this group of people who have dedicated their lives to searching for meteorites lies an object that resembles no meteorite known before. Further research shows that it is a piece of rock that is about 4.566 billion years old. It cannot be of terrestrial origin, if only because our planet itself was formed some 23 million years later.

The Erg Chech 002 meteorite, as it has been named, was formed in a large solar system body (protoplanet) by volcanic activity and is thus essentially a piece of lava. A lava so old that this meteorite is still the oldest solar system object ever discovered by mankind. Its parent planet, according to research, was formed just two million years after the formation of the solar system, and the meteorite separated from it after about another million years. The planet was then most likely swallowed up by one of the larger (present-day) planets in the solar system.

The actual piece we offer weighs over 189 g, which adds to its uniqueness - pieces this large are practically non-existent on the market today. Its composition is very unusual compared to other similar objects. Erg Chech 002 is made up almost entirely of crystals containing a large amount of quartz, which is exceptional in meteorites and is normally found in only very negligible quantities. Pyroxene crystals forming green and translucent sections are also very prominent. Erg Chech 002 is classified as andesite, which is very unusual. Out of more than 3,000 known meteorites from the mantles of various planets and asteroids, the vast majority are rock basalts, and only units of andesite meteorites have been found so far. This fact indicates that the meteorite must have formed inside a planet with a large amount of water. Also, the oxygen isotopes do not match any other achondrite meteorite from the Moon, Mars or asteroids such as Vesta.

To date, about 30 kilograms of variously sized pieces have been found and there are virtually no further finds. This figure is therefore likely to be final and it is almost certain that the price of this meteorite will increase steadily.

Weight: 189,85g
Location of discovery: Erg Chech, Algeria
Interesting fact: Formed from lava older than the planet Earth
Composition: zde.