Aba Panu is a dense stone meteorite. A variety of lightly-hued inclusions are suspended throughout a gray matrix. Round and ellipsoidal chondrules (for which the chondrite class of meteorites is named) as well as chondrule fragments abound. The cut surface is further embellished by gleaming flakes of metal dispersed throughout the matrix and a white line that is a shock feature in the meteorite.
On the afternoon of April 19, 2018, a large fireball detonated over southwestern Nigeria approximately 100 miles north of Lagos. Many stones were collected at multiple locations and the meteorite is named Aba Panu for the village near the center of the strewn field. Aba Panu is a primitive chondrite, which is to say it was not exposed to undue amounts of heat and is largely unmetamorphosed (unchanged) from the time it formed; in effect, what is seen here approximates the raw ingredients of the planets.
Chondrules were molten droplets of silicates in space that accreted together with some free metals to form the first asteroids 4550 million years ago. They are older than the Earth. The cut surface is also embellished by gleaming metal dispersed throughout.
When I visited the meteorite mecca at ASU, I asked Lawrence Garvie: of the huge array of meteorites here in the collection, which is your favorite? “Aba Panu” he replied, without hesitation. He did the geochemistry analysis for the MetBull entry.
1.6kg., 198 mm x 85 mm x 70 mm (7.75 x 3.33 x 2.75 in.)
An artifact in the Future Ventures’ 🚀 Space Collection.
Close-up of three chondrules, armored with rings of metallic iron-nickel and sulfide: 
Same image In reflected light; the armoring stands out
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