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Zagami meteorite

Zagami
Fragment of the Zagami meteorite
TypeAchondrite
ClassMartian meteorite
GroupShergottite
Parent bodyMars
CompositionShergottite-basaltic
CountryNigeria
RegionKatsina State
Coordinates11°44′N 7°5′E / 11.733°N 7.083°E / 11.733; 7.083
Observed fallYes
Fall dateOctober 3, 1962
Found dateOctober 3, 1962
TKW18 kilograms (40 lb)
Strewn fieldno

Zagami is a Martian meteorite weighing about 18 kilograms (40 lb).[1] It landed 10 feet (3.0 m) from a farmer near Zagami, Nigeria, and became buried in a hole about 2 feet (0.61 m) deep. According to Ron Baalke of NASA/JPL, "The Zagami meteorite is the most easily obtainable SNC meteorite available to collectors,"[2][3] referring to the SNC classification of meteorites (Shergottites, Nakhlites, Chassignites), of which Martian meteorites belong.

Zagamiite

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(a) Backscatter electron (BSE) image: zagamiite-bearing shock melt pocket in Zagami meteorite. (b) Enlarged BSE image of areas in (a) revealing fine-grained zagamiite. Stishovite-bearing regions also contain zagamiite & quenched melt.

Zagamiite is a mineral that was found in the meteorite and is therefore named after it.[4]

References

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  1. ↑ "Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Zagami". www.lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  2. ↑ "The Zagami Meteorite". www2.jpl.nasa.gov.
  3. ↑ Meyer, C. "Zagami" (PDF). NASA Johnson Space Center.
  4. ↑ Chi Ma, Oliver Tschauner, Vitali B. Prakapenka, John R. Beckett, Eran Greenberg, Vitali B. Prakapenka: Zagamiite, CaAl2Si3.5O11, the Hexagonal High-Pressure CAS Phase with Dominant Si, as a Mineral from Mars. In: MDPI: Minerals, Special Issue: Phase Transitions and Physical Properties of Minerals under Extreme Conditions of Pressure and Temperature, Volume 14, Issue p. 18; doi:10.3390/min14010018, Epub 22 December 2023.