NWA XXX Ordinary Chondrite Meteorite Individual, Unclassified, 392.28g, Fresh Black Fusion Crust

A 392.28g complete individual in fresh black fusion crust

This is a 392.28 gram complete individual of an unclassified meteorite, a probable ordinary chondrite, offered under the provisional designation NWA XXX. The stone is fully crusted: fresh, very dark black primary fusion crust covers nearly all of it, and a small area carries secondary crust. The surface carries numerous regmaglypts and a fine network of contraction cracks across the crust. It is a whole stone as it was recovered: not cut or polished. The photographs and the rotation video show the exact specimen offered.

Structure and features of this individual

The primary fusion crust is the defining feature. It is close to black across almost every face, with a satin to matte finish, and the macro photographs show it intact across the high points and down into the hollows. Crust this dark and complete is the part of a meteorite most exposed to weathering, so its condition is the clearest visible guide to how fresh a stone is.

Regmaglypts, the shallow thumbprint-like cavities formed as the surface ablated during atmospheric entry, are spread over several faces, with the deepest grouped together on one face. Across the crust runs a fine polygonal network of contraction cracks, which form as the thin melted skin cools and shrinks after the fireball phase. The macro images show that network clearly.

One small area carries secondary fusion crust. Secondary crust forms when a meteoroid breaks apart late in its flight and the newly exposed surface is heated for a shorter time, leaving a thinner, less developed crust than the primary surfaces. On this stone it is confined to a limited area. Slight caliche, a pale tan mineral deposit picked up from the desert soil, sits in a few recesses and along some of the cracks.

Discovery and provenance

This specimen was found in Mauritania in 2026 and acquired by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. It is offered under the designation NWA XXX, the convention for unclassified material from Northwest Africa, and has not been classified, so it has no entry in the Meteoritical Bulletin. For how the designation works and what separates it from an official meteorite name, see what NWA XXX means.

Scientific context

Ordinary chondrites are the most common meteorites recovered on Earth, and they fall into three groups, H, L and LL, defined largely by how much iron metal they contain. H chondrites carry the most free metal and usually respond strongly to a magnet, while L and LL chondrites carry progressively less. This stone shows a relatively low magnetic response, which is consistent with an L or LL chondrite. A magnet test is only a field indicator, however: the group, petrologic type, shock stage and weathering grade can only be assigned through laboratory analysis, and none of that has been done here. The specimen is described as a probable ordinary chondrite on the basis of its exterior and magnetic behaviour.

Fusion crust itself is a record of the last few seconds of a meteorite's flight. For more on how it forms and what its texture shows, see our guide to fusion crust on a meteorite.

Frequently asked questions

Is this meteorite classified? No. It is unclassified material offered as a probable ordinary chondrite. It has no official name and no Meteoritical Bulletin entry. Offered by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA #3323.

Is it authentic? Yes. It is an authentic meteorite. Unclassified means it has not been through the formal classification process, not that its meteoritic origin is in question.

Is it an L or an LL chondrite? That cannot be stated without laboratory classification. Its relatively low magnetic response is consistent with either group rather than an H chondrite, but a magnet test cannot separate L from LL.

What is the secondary crust? A thinner crust on a surface exposed late in flight, usually where the meteoroid broke apart during entry. On this stone it covers only a small area, and the rest carries primary crust.

What are the cracks in the crust? Contraction cracks. They form as the melted surface cools rapidly and shrinks, and they sit in the crust itself rather than running into the stone.

How should it be stored? Somewhere dry, handled with clean hands or gloves. Fresh fusion crust is best kept away from humidity to preserve its colour.

Collector significance

At 392.28 grams this is a substantial hand specimen, and its appeal is the surface: full crust coverage, with fresh black primary crust over nearly the entire stone, regmaglypts across several faces, and a contraction crack network that holds up under a loupe. It shows in one piece the main features that atmospheric entry leaves on a meteorite, which makes it a strong display stone and a useful reference specimen. Browse more in our chondrites and stony meteorites collections, or read more about NWA meteorites.