35. ERG CHECH 002 — END PIECE OF THE OLDEST VOLCANIC ROCK IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Ungrouped Achondrite – ACHON-UNGR
Adrar, Algeria (26°1' 28'' N, 1° 36' 39'' W)
Found 2020 / TKW: 31.8 kg
Numerous stones featuring distinctive green pyroxene crystals were recovered in 2020 in Algeria’s Erg Chech Sand Sea. The crystals were suspended in a coarse grained matrix with chestnut-hued mottling. No previously known meteorite looked quite like this. Due to its unique chemical composition, Erg Chech 002 (EC 002) was classified as an “ungrouped achondrite” — today one of less than 200 of the 76,000 meteorites in the literature.
On March 16, 2021, the findings of a research paper on EC 002 published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences determined that specimens of EC 002 were the oldest volcanic rocks in the solar system — and 22,000,000 years older than Earth. EC 002 was part of the crust of a protoplanet, and surface samples of the oldest protoplanets are virtually unheard of because their parent bodies either metamorphosed or were destroyed by impacts. Here is a great little sample of what will be a famed meteorite forever.
62 x 33 x 17mm (2.5 x 1.33 x 0.66 inches) and 29.8 grams.
Provenance:
Macovich Collection, New York City
Estimate $2,400 – 3,000 * $1,800