{"product_id":"nwa-15408-ll7-ordinary-chondrite-main-mass-223g","title":"NWA 15408 – LL7 Ordinary Chondrite Main Mass (223g)","description":"\u003ch1\u003eThe End of a Journey That Began Before Earth Existed\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cp\u003eType 7. The highest metamorphic grade an ordinary chondrite can reach without fully melting. \u003cstrong\u003eNorthwest Africa 15408\u003c\/strong\u003e spent billions of years inside its parent asteroid, slowly baked by internal heat until its minerals recrystallized into a tight, interlocking mosaic — a texture geologists call granoblastic. Then a collision shattered it into a breccia, and eventually a fragment fell to Earth near \u003cstrong\u003eTalsint, Morocco\u003c\/strong\u003e, where it was recovered in 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the \u003cstrong\u003emain mass\u003c\/strong\u003e — the largest surviving piece of NWA 15408 outside the institutional type specimen. At 223 grams, it is a substantial, display-worthy specimen that carries the full story of its extraordinary thermal history in every grain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhat Makes LL7 So Rare\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong the tens of thousands of meteorites catalogued by the Meteoritical Society, \u003cstrong\u003eonly 120 are classified as LL7\u003c\/strong\u003e. To reach type 7, a chondrite must have experienced prolonged heating at temperatures approaching 950°C — hot enough to obliterate nearly all original chondrule textures and homogenize its minerals to near-equilibrium compositions. In NWA 15408, only \u003cstrong\u003etwo relict chondrules\u003c\/strong\u003e were detected in the entire section studied. Everything else has been consumed by metamorphism, leaving behind a rock of remarkable mineralogical uniformity and beauty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe brownish exterior retains \u003cstrong\u003epatches of original fusion crust\u003c\/strong\u003e — the glassy skin formed as the meteorite ablated through Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed. A reminder that this rock was once a fireball in the sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSpecimen Details\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Northwest Africa 15408 (NWA 15408)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eClassification:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ordinary Chondrite — LL7\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThis piece:\u003c\/strong\u003e Main Mass — 223 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 67 × 55 × 43 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTotal known mass:\u003c\/strong\u003e 101 g type specimen + this main mass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYear found:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2022, purchased from a dealer in Talsint, Morocco\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eApproved:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20 December 2022 — Meteoritical Bulletin MB 111 (2023)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain mass holder:\u003c\/strong\u003e Noreddine Azelmat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eScientific Data\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShock stage:\u003c\/strong\u003e S2\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeathering grade:\u003c\/strong\u003e W2\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOlivine (Fayalite):\u003c\/strong\u003e Fa31.1 ± 0.5 mol% (range Fa30.2–31.8, FeO\/MnO=63±8, n=7)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLow-Ca pyroxene:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fs26.1 ± 0.1 \/ Wo2.3 ± 0.2 mol% (n=7)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCa pyroxene:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fs11.1 ± 0.4 \/ Wo43.6 ± 0.5 mol% (n=7)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFeldspar:\u003c\/strong\u003e An10.5 ± 0.2 \/ Ab84.8 ± 0.6 \/ Or4.8 ± 0.6 (n=7)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAccessories:\u003c\/strong\u003e Minor FeNi metal, troilite, chromite, apatite\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eClassifier:\u003c\/strong\u003e A. Greshake, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MNB)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType specimen:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20.8 g held at MNB\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePetrography\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003ebreccia\u003c\/strong\u003e composed of up to 5 mm angular to subrounded clasts set in a fine-grained matrix. Both clasts and matrix display a \u003cstrong\u003estrongly recrystallized texture\u003c\/strong\u003e with abundant triple junctions between adjoining minerals — the hallmark of high-grade thermal metamorphism. Accessory phases include minor partly altered FeNi metal and troilite grains, chromite, and apatite. Only two relict chondrules were detected in the studied section, underscoring the extreme degree of metamorphic overprinting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eProvenance \u0026amp; Authenticity\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOfficially registered with the \u003cstrong\u003eMeteoritical Society\u003c\/strong\u003e and published in \u003cem\u003eMeteoritical Bulletin MB 111 (2023)\u003c\/em\u003e. Purchased from a reputable dealer in Talsint, Morocco in July 2022. This is the main mass of a 101 g total find — an exceptionally rare LL7 with partial fusion crust, classified by one of the world’s leading meteoriticists. Ships with full provenance documentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePriced at $5.00\/g · Main mass 223 g · 1 of only 120 approved LL7 meteorites worldwide.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Buy Meteorite LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47956129710267,"sku":"NWA-15408-MM-223","price":1115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0665\/2054\/7515\/files\/15408chondriteMeteoriteLL7_2830.jpg?v=1781303486","url":"https:\/\/buymeteorite.com\/products\/nwa-15408-ll7-ordinary-chondrite-main-mass-223g","provider":"Buy Meteorite LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}