28. NWA 10720 — SUPERB EXAMPLE OF A NAKHLITE
Mars Rock / Nakhlite
Sahara Desert, border region of Mauritania and Western Sahara
Found 2015 / TKW: 1015 grams
Among the rarest substances on Earth, as of 1/22/25 there are less than 400 kg (880 lbs) of Mars on Earth, and of the 395 Martian meteorites listed in the Meteoritical Bulletin, less than 10% are nakhlites. Nakhlites are volcanic rocks that formed from basaltic magma 1.3 billion years ago. The large grains seen formed during slow cooling in a magma chamber prior to volcanic eruption. Nakhlites were ejected off the Martian surface 10.75 million years ago following a massive asteroid impact. As nakhlites are more friable than shergottites, specimens with fusion crust are exceedingly rare. The current offering, however, features a broad textured slope of crust on one of its faces. Dark green grains of augite are mixed throughout the feldspar matrix of this noteworthy example.
33 x 38 x 29mm (1.33 x 1.5 x 1 inch) and 41.37 grams
Estimate $18,000 – 24,000 * Reserve $15,000