Northwest Africa 16976 | CK6

Carbonaceous chondrite (CK6)
Found in Northwest Africa in 2016

CK meteorites are named after the Karoonda meteorite, which fell in Australia in 1930. This type of meteorite is a stone meteorite, meaning it originated from the outer crust of a planet or asteroid. Of all the meteorite types, the stones are the most common.

Meteorites like NWA 16976 are called carbonaceous chondrites. These chondrites have a relatively high proportion of carbon, up to 3%. They also contain minerals, water, and in some cases, calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, known as CAIs. These rare and ancient space rocks have also been found to contain amino acids, suggesting they have have brought the building blocks of life to Earth.

CK meteorites are a specific kind of carbonaceous chondrite, with unique characteristics that separate them from other meteorites in their class. For example, CK meteorites have a high oxidation state, meaning that they contain almost no metallic iron. Instead, they contain iron oxides, like magnetite. They also enjoy a high concentration of inclusions, like CAIs, which are some of the oldest materials in the solar system.

NWA 16976 was purchased from a Moroccan dealer, Saeed Haddany, in 2016. Aesthetically, you can expect to observe scattered chondrules in a very dark colored groundmass, according to experts. When left whole, the exterior of the meteorite is dark and sandblasted, evidence of its time on our planet.