Meteorite Sebkha el Melah 001 – Mali

The Sebkha el Melah 001 meteorite is classified as achondrite, specifically aubrite. This meteorite was found in late March 2022 in Mali, about 10 km southwest of Sebkha el Melah and 245 km southeast of Taoudenni, by Saharan meteorite hunters. The total amount found was approximately 17 kg. Bachir Salek recovered 12.5 kg, including the main mass, which weighed 3550 g.

This meteorite is mainly composed of clusters of coarse, interlocking enstatite crystals with a pegmatitic texture. Individual crystals are cm in size, many of them showing distinct cleavage planes and traces. Some of the enstatite crystals are milky white in color, while a few crystals are colorless translucent to transparent and gemmy. Enstatite crystals are easily separated from clusters and the largest single crystal weighed 45 g and was approximately 5 cm long and 2 cm wide. There are also scattered dark coloured spots on some of the crystals. A considerable amount of smooth cream to white fusion crust is visible, although some of the fusion crusts are darkly coloured. No blisters are present. The meteorite does not appear to have disintegrated.

Classification: Aubrite, unbroken. This aubrite has one of the highest modal abundances of enstatite ever recorded. The enstatite, diopside and forsterite of this meteorite have some of the lowest iron contents (below the detection limit of major elements by electron microprobe) ever documented in aubrites.