NWA 17917 LL3-5 Ordinary Chondrite Main Mass, Genomict Breccia, 1704g

The 1704 gram main mass of NWA 17917, 1 of 18 approved LL3-5 meteorites

NWA 17917 is an ordinary chondrite of the LL group, classified in the Meteoritical Bulletin as LL3-5. The Bulletin describes it as a genomict breccia: a single stone that holds two rock types from the same group, one barely altered by heat and one recrystallized. As of November 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin lists it as 1 of 18 approved meteorites classified as LL3-5. This is the main mass, and the Bulletin records the meteorite as one piece. It weighs 1704 grams, with one polished cut face where the classification sample was taken.

The Meteoritical Bulletin records the main mass of NWA 17917 with Brian McDonald. It was classified by J. Garcia, ADARA, under the work name BMD 018, and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 114.

Structure and features

The exterior is dark brown to black and weathered, with shallow rounded depressions and a network of fine cracks. Some areas appear to be remnant fusion crust, though how much remains is difficult to judge by eye. Chondrules show through the surface in many places as small pale spots. Pale tan deposits from the find environment sit in some cracks and hollows. The meteorite number is hand lettered in ink on a small patch of white paint on one face, and the patch has been left in place.

One flat face is a polished cut, made where the classification sample was removed. It works as a window into the interior and shows a densely packed field of chondrules in tan, orange, gray and olive tones, set in a dark matrix, with scattered bright metal and sulfide grains. Lighter, more uniform areas are visible alongside the chondrule-rich texture. Apart from that one cut, the stone is whole, and it carries no coating.

The classification thin sections, as described in the Bulletin, show two lithologies. The main lithology has a chondritic texture with well-developed chondrules, chondrule fragments and mineral grains in a dark matrix. Its chondrules have an apparent mean diameter of about 1.1 mm (1094 micrometers, n=15), and its olivine is usually zoned, with irregular and planar fractures. The second lithology is present as recrystallized clasts up to 12 mm across. The opaque minerals are iron-nickel metal and sulfides. The Bulletin records shock stage S3 and weathering grade W1.

Discovery and provenance

The Bulletin records NWA 17917 as a find from 2024, with the location given as Tindouf, Algeria, and coordinates unknown. Its history line states that the meteorite was purchased from a meteorite dealer. The finder is recorded as anonymous. It is not an observed fall.

J. Garcia at ADARA in the Canary Islands carried out the petrography and classification, and the Bulletin lists the meteorite as submitted by Jose Garcia under the work name BMD 018. A 20.08 gram type specimen is held at MUNA, the Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueologia in Tenerife, and two thin sections are held at ADARA. The entry was approved on 14 September 2025 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 114 (Meteoritics and Planetary Science 61, 942-946, 2026).

The Bulletin records a mass of 1704 grams in one piece, and records the main mass with Brian McDonald. This stone is that main mass. It weighs 1704 grams as held today, after the classification cut was made.

Scientific context

Ordinary chondrites are divided into three groups by iron content: H, L and LL. LL chondrites are the group with low total iron and low metal. Background on the wider family is set out in what is a chondrite.

The numbers after the group are petrologic types, a measure of how far a chondrite was heated and recrystallized on its parent body. Type 3 is the least altered, with sharply defined chondrules and minerals that vary in composition from grain to grain. Type 5 has been heated enough that its minerals have settled to a uniform composition. How these designations are assigned is covered in how meteorites are classified.

NWA 17917 holds both. In the type 3 lithology the Bulletin reports olivine at Fa13.1 with a spread of plus or minus 10.9, and low-calcium pyroxene at Fs11.7 with a spread of plus or minus 8.1. That wide spread is the mark of unequilibrated material. In the type 5 lithology olivine is Fa28.3 plus or minus 0.3 and low-calcium pyroxene is Fs23.3 plus or minus 0.1, a tight range that reflects equilibration, and an olivine value that falls in the LL range.

A genomict breccia is a rock assembled from fragments of the same chondrite group that reached different petrologic types. Impacts broke up material from different parts of the LL parent body and mixed it, and the mixture was later consolidated into one rock. The classification line in the Bulletin reads: ordinary chondrite, genomict breccia LL3-5 S3 W1. S3 is a shock stage indicating weak shock, and W1 is a low weathering grade.

Few meteorites carry this exact classification. As of November 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin Database lists 18 approved meteorites as LL3-5, and NWA 17917 is one of them.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the main mass of NWA 17917?

Yes. The Meteoritical Bulletin records the main mass of NWA 17917 with Brian McDonald and records the meteorite as one piece. This 1704 gram stone is that main mass.

Has the stone been cut?

Once. A classification sample was cut from one face, and that face has been polished. The 1704 gram weight is the weight after that cut. Every other surface is natural exterior.

What does LL3-5 mean?

LL is the ordinary chondrite group with low total iron and low metal. The range 3-5 means the stone contains material of more than one petrologic type: an unequilibrated type 3 lithology and recrystallized type 5 clasts. The Bulletin classifies it as a genomict breccia.

How many LL3-5 meteorites are there?

As of November 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin lists NWA 17917 as 1 of 18 approved meteorites classified as LL3-5. That is a count of database entries. Some entries may be paired with one another, so the number of separate falls represented can be lower.

Is NWA 17917 a fall or a find?

It is a find. The Bulletin records it as found in 2024 and not as an observed fall.

Has the stone been coated or treated?

No. The stone carries no coating. The painted patch with the meteorite number is an identification label on the surface.

Has NWA 17917 been published?

Yes. It was approved on 14 September 2025 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 114, in Meteoritics and Planetary Science volume 61 (2026).

Is white glove delivery available?

Yes. This specimen qualifies for our white glove service: fully insured, with personal delivery at approved destinations, arranged on request.

Who is the seller?

Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA Member #3323, Hobe Sound, Florida. Background on the Bulletin and what its entries record is in understanding the Meteoritical Bulletin.

Collector significance

Eighteen approved meteorites carry the LL3-5 classification as of November 2026. This is the main mass of one of them, an officially classified genomict breccia held as one 1704 gram stone. The window face shows the chondrule-rich interior, and the rest of the stone keeps its natural exterior. It qualifies for white glove service, fully insured, with personal delivery at approved destinations, arranged on request.

As of November 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin lists this as 1 of 18 approved meteorites classified as LL3-5. That figure is a count of database entries, taken from the live entry for NWA 17917.

This specimen is offered by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA Member #3323, and is issued with a permanent specimen record and serial number. Browse more chondrites and stony meteorites in the collection.

Classification and provenance for this specimen follow the official Meteoritical Bulletin entry for NWA 17917, viewable at the Meteoritical Bulletin Database.