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Sale 79
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Lot 812
Tissint Martian Meteorite. At about 2 A.M. on July 18, 2011 a bright fireball was observed by several people in the Oued Dran Valley east of Tata, Morocco. The intense fireball was at first yellow in color and then turned green before breaking into several pieces resulting in two sonic booms. The first pristine meteorites were found in October 48 km SSW of Tissint Village. Any meteorite recovered from an observed fall becomes highly sought after and highly valued but Tissint was not just any meteorite, it turned out to be a very rare meteorite that originated on the planet Mars. This meteorite was identified as being from Mars by analyzing its oxygen isotopes. The composition of the oxygen isotopes from Mars is different from the composition of the oxygen isotopes from Earth and just like a fingerprint identifies this meteorite as being from Mars.
Because this meteorite is so fresh and was recovered within weeks of its fall in an arid desert, it has tremendous potential for scientists to analyze it to determine the conditions on Mars at the time it was formed and even possibly to find organic matter that might indicate the presence of life. In April 2012, a team of scientists at the Buckingham Center for Astrobiology and Cardiff University led by Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and PhD student Jamie Wallis have indeed found what they claim to be signs of fossilized life in the Tissint meteorite. Using a powerful electron microscope they found tiny egg-shaped carbon rich globules from the interior of one of the Tissint Martian meteorites. Jamie Wallis believes that these organic spheres are proof of fossil life on Mars 400-500 million years age and are probably remnants of polysaccharide shells surrounding algal type cells. Other scientists are currently trying to confirm these findings. Bubbles within the meteorite could still contain traces of the Martian atmosphere. The glossy black fusion crust looks like glass being so fresh and the interior is a pale gray color with some pale yellow olivine macrocrysts. The host rock solidified out of Martian magma 400-500 million years age and was blasted off the surface of Mars by an asteroid impact around one million years ago.
The largest 2.4 pound Tissint meteorite was purchased by the British Museum for over one million dollars and is considered to be the most important meteorite in their collection and the most important meteorite fall in over 100 years.
This superb quality specimen measures 9 x 7 mm and weighs 0.536 grams, with more than 60% pristine glassy black fusion crust and a view inside the meteorite from the other exposed areas. Presented in a 8 x 5.5 inch Riker mount with a picture of the egg globule. The only way to get a fresher piece of the planet Mars would be to go there and pick one up
Add $15 for domestic shipping.
Estimated Value $750 - 1,000.
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| Realized $630 |
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