Northwest Africa 12217 | Achondrite-ung

NWA 12217

Purchased in 2015, Northwest Africa 12217 is an ungrouped achondrite. Some stones exhibit partial fusion crust and a fragmental breccia interior. The meteorite is rich in olivine (the interior of the meteorite reveals large olivine fragments) and studies show that its composition is consistent with an origin of a highly differential body—meaning the parent body had a crust, mantle, and core.

NWA 12217 is a cumulate dunite breccia. Dunite is almost entirely composed of olivine and was formed deep in the mantle of the parent body. Finds like these are significant because they bring us a step closer to understanding the differentiation process that took planetismals to planets in the earliest days of the Solar System.