This is what a fresh meteorite looks like. An authentic rock from space.
As a dealer, a lot of meteorites come and go through my collection. Once in a while I receive one that is a beautiful example of a classic meteorite. This is one of those examples. It is from a meteorite fall named "Oum Dreyga", which is named after the region of the desert where the meteorite fell. It exploded in the sky over the Western Sahara near the Moroccan border on October 16. 2003. Hundreds of small stones and many thousands of total fragments were later recovered and made their way to the collector market. Oum Dreyga is officially classified as a brecciated H3-5 chondrite.
This specimen is a whole, uncut stone that was recovered shortly after the fall and before the meteorite had a chance to become oxidized from exposure to the elements. It is covered in a matte black fusion crust that has tiny flowlines and rollover lipping from atmospheric orientation during flight. The black centimeter cube is shown for scale and measures one square centimeter (10mm).
Specimen shown here weighs 21 grams and is in the Galactic Stone & Ironworks collection.
Photos : Michael Gilmer, Galactic Stone & Ironworks Collection, 2018.
Hi @galacticstone, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads and I included it in my Paddling Nature Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
That is a beautiful specimen! I am grateful to @artemisnorth for pointing me in the direction of this post! She did so because I also collect crystals/stones and recently posted photos of my own meteorite sample.
It is wonderful that you know where this piece was found, and even know the year that it fell! Since hundreds of small stones and thousands of fragments were found, is it safe to assume that this came from a bolide, a meteorite that exploded in the atmosphere? (If there were sharper edges, I'd think it might have shattered on impact, instead, along fracture lines in the stone.)
Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos with us! I also like your "centimeter cube," which is a great touch! I usually rely on my thumbnail or a penny for comparison-of-size in photos of my collection! LOL!
Yes, this was a bolide that lit up the sky before it exploded and fragmented. It really is a piece of shooting star. :)