Taza – NWA 859 83.3g

Description

Iron Ungrouped, Found in Northwest Africa, 2001

A colleague of ours in Europe calls this gorgeous meteorite “The Princess of the Irons” and the title is well deserved. Found near the Moroccan town of Taza in 2001, this rare desert iron is an ungrouped (UNGR) plessitic octahedrite and is also known as Northwest Africa 859. Taza irons display a lovely caramel colored patina; many specimens retain some original blue-grey fusion crust, and many also show features of orientation. Although similar in appearance to Sikhote-Alin individuals, the Taza shower was tiny in comparison, with a total known weight of approximately 100 kg. The majority of Taza irons are very small — less than 20 grams. The popularity of this iron has increased recently, significantly depleting our available inventory.