planetmars.jpg (7343 bytes) Sayh al Uhaymir 005

a piece of mars from the Arabian Desert

 

Official Classification:

  • SAU 005

  • Found in Oman November 26, 1999

  • Martian basalt (shergottite)

At two locations, 1864 m apart, 5 grey-greenish stones were found which are macroscopically identical. Sayh al Uhaymir (SaU) 005 comprises one fragment of 547 grams and two individuals of 568 grams and 236 grams, which are partially covered by fusion crust and show regmaglyptes. SaU 005 is paired with SaU 008 which comprises one large individual of 7805 g and a smaller fragmented individual of 774 g. On the latter, the fresh black fusion crust is almost completely preserved. The total mass of SaU 005/008 is 9923 g. Mineralogy and classification (J. Zipfel, MPI): porphyritic texture with large olivine phenocrysts (Fo64-71) in a fine-grained groundmass of pigeonite (En61-70Wo6-13) and maskelynite (An51-65Or0.3-0.9); minor phases are augite, phosphates and opaques; strongly shocked: mosaicism and planar deformation of olivines, twinning and fracturing of clinopyroxene, and up to mm-sized shock melted areas with quench textures are common; brown-orange ringlike structures formed by extremely fine-grained intergrowths of unidentified phases are abundant in impact melt areas and pyroxenes;. the meteorite is extremely fresh, with only a few of the larger cracks partially filled with calcite. Bulk chemical analyses (B. Spettel, G. Dreibus, MPI; H. Palme, K\366ln), noble gas analyses (M. Paetsch, L Schultz, MPI), and Sm-Nd systematics (E. Jagoutz, MPI): texture, bulk chemistry, noble gases and Sm-Nd systematics indicate a very close relationship to Dar al Gani 476/489/670/735; however, based on the distinct mineral chemistry and the place of find, simple pairing with those meteorites can be excluded. Specimens: type specimen, 60 g, MPI; main mass with anonymous finder.

 

Click images to enlarge:

sau005insitua.jpg (405399 bytes)  sau005insitub.jpg (409627 bytes)

Specimen in situ

sau005568a.JPG (188613 bytes)  sau005568b.JPG (168285 bytes)  sau005568c.JPG (153987 bytes)

sau005568d.JPG (184397 bytes)  sau005568e.JPG (168835 bytes)  sau005568f.JPG (189481 bytes)

sau005568g.JPG (167789 bytes)

568 complete individual measuring 78 mm x 76mm x 49mm

 

 

sau0055a.JPG (112264 bytes)  sau005547insitua.jpg (273979 bytes)  sau005547insitub.jpg (276897 bytes)

5.0 gram complete slice measuring 53 mm x 38 mm x .9 mm.  This slice came from the 547 gram specimen shown in situ.

 

 

sau005display.JPG (141092 bytes)

568 gram complete individual and 5.0 gram complete slice displayed along side each other.

 

 

sau005318a.JPG (765175 bytes)  sau005236insitua.jpg (271845 bytes)  sau005236insitub.jpg (397187 bytes)

.318 gram part slice measuring 14.5 mm x 6.7 mm x .9 mm.  This slice came from the 236 gram specimen shown in situ.

 

 

sau005frame.JPG (133967 bytes)

Framed display with photo of 568 gram individual in situ and .318 gram part slice.

 

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