Oriented Nose Cone Chondrite Meteorite

Description

This oriented Chondrite meteorite, found in the Sahara Desert in North West Africa, is a stony (non-metallic) meteorite. This extraterrestrial wonder is known as a nose cone meteorite, which means that it oriented itself in a perfectly balanced trajectory as it fell through earth’s atmosphere and developed a smooth surface resembling a nose. As a result, this specimen also exhibits “creeping,” or molten material streaming away from the cone. As phenomenal in composition as it is in appearance, this meteorite is comprised of the dust and grains of primitive asteroids found all over the solar system, including crystals of olivine, nickel, and feldspar. These particles are accreted, or pulled to the meteor’s growing mass by gravitation. They frequently include rounded mineral particles known as chondrules, which can be seen in cross-sections of these amazing otherworldly treasures.

5 18″ wide x 5 1/4″ deep x 5″ high

It is estimated that between 85.7% and 86.2% of all meteorites discovered on earth have been chondrites, and many are discovered in the Sahara Desert as the desert’s elevated temperatures perfectly preserve these specimens. Though plentiful on the planet, they are extremely important to the study of the origins and age of the Solar System, and indeed, the origins of life.