NWA 18497 CVox3 Carbonaceous Chondrite Endcut 71.00g

A substantial end cut of NWA 18497, an oxidized CV3 carbonaceous chondrite

NWA 18497 belongs to the CV group of carbonaceous chondrites, primitive stony meteorites that preserve solids from the earliest stage of the solar system. At 71.00 grams, this end cut carries a broad polished face crowded with chondrules in copper, orange, and tan tones set against a dark olivine-rich matrix, along with a pale gray inclusion of the type that ranks among the oldest dated objects known to science. The reverse keeps the natural weathered exterior, where chondrules stand out in relief across the surface of the stone.

The Meteoritical Bulletin lists NWA 18497 as CVox3 with a total known mass of 725 grams. It was classified by J. Garcia at ADARA in the Canary Islands and carried the workname BMD 038 during study.

Structure and features

The polished face reads like a map of the early solar nebula. Chondrules average close to 1.2 millimeters in the studied section and reach larger sizes, most showing porphyritic textures in which crystals of olivine and pyroxene sit within finer groundmass. FeO-poor Type I chondrules dominate the population. Between them runs the compact, fine-grained matrix, built from micrometer-scale olivine and opaque phases, which gives the cut face its dark background.

Near one margin of the face sits a pale gray inclusion with the irregular outline characteristic of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), refractory objects that condensed before the chondrules formed. The classification work on this meteorite documents CAIs from submillimeter size up to almost a centimeter, including one measuring about 9 millimeters in the studied thin section, along with amoeboid olivine aggregates in the matrix. Thin light veins thread across the stone, a record of desert exposure. On the uncut surfaces, differential weathering has etched the matrix back and left individual chondrules standing proud, so the chondritic texture can be read on the natural exterior as well as the polished interior.

Discovery and provenance

The stone was purchased from an Algerian dealer in 2024 and carries the Northwest Africa designation applied to material recovered across the Sahara without precise find coordinates. Classification was performed by J. Garcia at ADARA, Petrography and Curation of Astromaterials, in the Canary Islands, Spain, with the submission made by Jose Garcia, and the entry is published in Meteoritical Bulletin no. 115. The type specimen rests at the Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueologia (MUNA) in Tenerife, ADARA retains a thin section, and the main mass is recorded with Brian McDonald. The Bulletin records the meteorite as a find with a low weathering grade.

Scientific context

CV chondrites take their name from the Vigarano fall and are best known through Allende, the 1969 Mexican fall that became one of the most analyzed rocks in planetary science. The group is defined by large chondrules, an abundant dark matrix, and a high content of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions. CV chondrites divide into reduced and oxidized branches, and NWA 18497 falls on the oxidized side, assigned following the metal and sulfide chemistry framework published by Gattacceca and colleagues in 2020.

The petrographic type 3 marks an unequilibrated stone whose minerals never reached a common composition through heating. In NWA 18497 that heterogeneity is strong: chondrule olivine averages Fa8.6 while matrix olivine runs near Fa50, and the sparse metal carries nickel near 66 weight percent. These values, together with the Type I dominated chondrule population and the presence of AOAs and CAIs, anchor the stone in the CV3 group. For more on how stones like this are studied and named, see what is a chondrite and how meteorites are classified.

Frequently asked questions

What does CVox3 mean?
CV identifies the group of carbonaceous chondrites, ox marks the oxidized subgroup based on metal and sulfide chemistry, and 3 is the petrographic type, indicating material that has changed little since it formed in the early solar system.

What is the pale gray patch on the polished face?
It has the form of a calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion, a refractory object that condensed from the solar nebula before the chondrules. CAIs are documented throughout this meteorite, including one about 9 millimeters across in the classified thin section.

How is an end cut different from a slice?
A slice is taken from the interior and polished on both faces, while an end cut preserves one polished face and keeps the natural exterior of the stone on the other side. This piece shows the interior texture and the weathered outer surface in a single specimen.

Will it respond to a magnet, and how should it be stored?
It gives only a weak pull, far less than an iron meteorite, since metal is sparse and partly oxidized. Handle it with clean hands or gloves and keep it in a dry environment to protect the polished face.

Collector significance

Few specimens compress as much early solar system history into one object as a CV3: chondrules that froze from molten droplets, fine dust that became matrix, and refractory inclusions older than the planets. At 71.00 grams, this end cut offers a broad polished face for display alongside the natural exterior of the stone. As of June 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin lists this as 1 of 64 approved meteorites classified as CVox3. This specimen is offered by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA Member #3323. Browse more carbonaceous chondrites and stony meteorites in the collection.

Classification and provenance for this specimen follow the official Meteoritical Bulletin entry for NWA 18497, viewable at the Meteoritical Bulletin Database. Unless specifically stated in titles and descriptions, all meteorites sold by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. are scientifically classified specimens with Meteoritical Bulletin citations.