Complete Slice of NWA 1879

A MESOSIDERITE WITH LARGE IRON-NICKEL INCLUSIONS

NWA 1879 is a mesosiderite, a type of meteorite produced by a violent outerspace collision between a stony and an iron meteorite. Mesosiderites are quite rare, representing less than .5% — or 1 out of 200 — of all meteorites ever found. Especially prominent in this shield-shaped slice of NWA 1879 are large iron-nickel inclusions that bear witness to the collision of asteroids, their decomposition, and then re-solidification that made this meteorite possible.

REFERENCES:

Meteoritical Bulletin Entry for NWA 1879