Al Haggounia 001

Enstatite chondrite, EL-melt rock
Found in Western Sahara, 2006

Al Haggounia 001 was first discovered in Western Sahara in 2006 near Al Haggounia. Portions of the meteorite were excavated from beneath a sabkha lake and several pieces were found embedded in terrestrial rock. Scientists estimate the meteorite fell in the Late Quaternary period, which makes it a “fossil” or “paleo” meteorite.

There’s been some debate over the classification of Al Haggounia 001; in 2016, the meteorite was reclassified by Dr. Alan Rubin of the University of California, Los Angeles as ” “vesicular, incompletely melted, EL chondrite impact melt rock[s]”. Al Haggounia is an now classified as an enstatite chondrite, EL-melt, a rare type of meteorite that, according to spectral analysis, could have come from asteroid 16 Psyche. They lack significant oxygen content, which suggests enstatites could have formed near the center of the solar nebula that created our solar system.

Low in iron, these specimens are distinguished by their large chondrules and variety of weathering stages. Some Al Haggounia pieces are dark brown in color and sport beige veins of clay, while specimens that have experienced less weathering are bluish-grey in color.