1.23" Eucrite Meteorite (3.4 g) Slice - NWA 8174

Eucrite Meteorite ( g) Slice - NWA #266170

This is a 1.23" wide (3.4 gram) slice of the NWA 8174 eucrite meteorite. This is a gabbroic polymict breccia, similar to other eucrites. The thin slice is expertly polished on one side, displaying the subtle colors and forms in the meteorite's interior. Pigeonite is visible as reddish-brown inclusions in the matrix. Only 150 grams of this meteorite have ever been recovered, so this is a truly rare find!

Eucrite Meteorites - Fragments Of 4 Vesta

Eucrites are achondritic stony meteorites thought to have originated from the surface of the giant asteroid (or minor planet) 4 Vesta. Vesta is the second largest body in the asteroid belt, measuring 326 miles wide. Like Earth, it has the differentiated layers of crust, mantle, and core common to rocky planets: this may mean that 4 Vesta is the remnant of a larger destroyed planet.

Eucrites consist of basaltic rock from Vesta's crust ejected during a collision with another asteroid. Eucrites are mostly composed of calcium-poor pyroxene, pigeonite, and calcium-rich plagioclase (anorthite). Vesta is currently one of just seven identified solar system bodies of which we have physical samples.

A true color image of 4 Vesta taken by NASA's Dawn probe in July of 2011.