Meteorite NWA 14131 – Eucrite (Vesta) – Northwest Africa

Eucrite meteorites come from Asteroid Vesta, the second largest object in the main asteroid belt of our solar system, which has been hit by a series of large impacts throughout its history, ejecting material from its surface into space. These events created craters on Vesta, some of which are clearly visible thanks to space probes.

Eucrites belong to the achondrite group. Achondrites are meteorites that do not contain chondrules - small spherical bodies typical of many other types of rocky meteorites. Eucrites are especially interesting because they are thought to be igneous rocks similar to those found on Earth. Eucrites are composed mostly of basalt or gabbro, which are igneous rocks. They contain minerals such as plagioclase and pyroxene.

Eucrites, along with diogenites and howardites, form a group of meteorites known as HED meteorites, after their main types (Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite). These meteorites are important to planetary science because they allow us to study material from planetary crusts.