NWA 18501 LL6 Ordinary Chondrite Individual 6183g

A complete, slightly oriented individual from the Mauritanian Sahara

NWA 18501 is an LL6 ordinary chondrite recovered as a complete, slightly oriented individual. This specimen weighs 6183 grams and carries fusion crust across roughly 65 percent of its surface, with well defined regmaglypts and contraction cracks formed during atmospheric entry. A single cut window marks where the classification sample was taken. It is the recorded main mass of the meteorite, held and offered by IMCA member Brian McDonald (IMCA #3323).

Structure and surface features

The crusted face shows the gentle doming and directional sculpting of a stone that held a stable attitude during part of its descent, together with thumbprint regmaglypts and shrinkage cracks that formed as the fresh crust cooled. About 65 percent of the exterior retains primary fusion crust, while the reverse carries the brown desert patina of its time on the ground, and one small sawn face exposes the interior where the type sample was removed. Internally the stone is a brecciated LL6, a recrystallized granoblastic matrix of olivine and low calcium pyroxene in which the original chondrules are largely absorbed, consistent with petrologic type 6 thermal metamorphism. Metal and troilite occur at the low abundance characteristic of the LL group. The petrographic report records a shock stage of S3 and a weathering grade of W2.

Discovery and provenance

The meteorite was found in 2025 at Gleib en Ndour, Mauritania, and purchased that year from a meteorite dealer in Morocco. Classification was carried out by J. Garcia, ADARA, with the type specimen of 20.29 grams deposited at the Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueologia (MUNA) in Tenerife and a thin section held at ADARA. The entry was approved on 27 March 2026 under laboratory work number BMD 029.

Scientific context

LL ordinary chondrites carry low total iron and low metallic iron, the trait that defines the group. The type 6 designation reflects a high degree of parent body heating that equilibrated the minerals and erased most chondrule boundaries. Among classified stony meteorites, NWA 18501 is the only approved meteorite from Gleib en Ndour, Mauritania.

Frequently asked questions

What type of meteorite is NWA 18501?
It is an LL6 ordinary chondrite with a brecciated texture, a desert find from Mauritania.

How much of the surface has fusion crust?
Approximately 65 percent of the surface retains primary fusion crust.

Is it oriented?
It is slightly oriented, showing gentle doming and directional sculpting from a stable attitude during part of its flight.

Has the stone been cut?
A small sample was removed for classification, leaving one cut window. The piece is otherwise a complete individual and the recorded main mass.

Is it officially classified?
Yes. It is an official Meteoritical Bulletin entry (MB 115), classified by J. Garcia, ADARA.

Collector significance

Complete individuals that keep most of their fusion crust and show orientation features are valued as display pieces because they present the meteorite close to how it fell. As the recorded main mass of NWA 18501, this stone accounts for the bulk of the recovered material from this find. As a Premium Specimen, this stone qualifies for our white-glove delivery service, a fully insured, personal handoff arranged directly with the buyer at an approved domestic or international location. The full classification is published in the Meteoritical Bulletin entry for NWA 18501.