50. JIKHARRA 001 – END PIECE
AEUC – Eucrite Melt Breccia
Sahara Desert, Ajdabiya, Libya (29°58’08.2” N, 21°52’05.0” E)
Found 2022 / TKW: 2.5 tons
Vesta is the only asteroid which can be seen with the naked eye. And overwhelming evidence indicates the surface and upper crust of Vesta are the source of eucrites, which makes this sample among those with a return address. Vesta is the only large asteroid with a basalt-covered surface and compelling data transmitted from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, which orbited the Vesta in 2011 and 2012, support the notion of Vesta as this specimen’s place of origin — and that of howardites and diogenites.
It was billions of years ago massive impacts between Vesta and other asteroids ejected a massive amounts of Vesta into space — a portion of which was flung into an Earth-crossing orbit. Jikharra 001 is a melt breccia of plagioclase and pigeonite set in a variegated tawny-hued shock melt matrix. This fine representation features two cut and polished surfaces and a long slope of the meteorite’s natural exterior.
77 x 65 x 29mm (3 x 2.5 x 1 inches) and 208.1 grams (0.5 lbs)
Estimate $400-600 * No Reserve