Rivers of molten material flow around pebbles of matrix. Impact melt breccias are among the most texturally diverse meteorites. It is the result of the variables of impact events including the composition, speed and angle of the projectile, the composition and porosity of the melted target, and the size, shape and abundance of the unmelted inclusions. This is a fascinating representation.
This meteorite is the result of an impact having occurred in interplanetary space at cosmic velocity (more than 5 km/second) that melted the portion of the parent body from where these meteorites originated—before being launched into an Earth-crossing orbit and eventually landing in the African nation of Niger. The Tassédet 004 meteorite has been classified as a H5-melt breccia and was found near Agadez in 2016.
When cut, the meteorite has abundant grains of iron and metal veins running through the stone. Batches of melt appear as shiny black areas with tiny round blebs of melted iron enclosed in the melt. The melt areas flow and wind across the slice.
What a beauty!
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