Rafsa 005 Angrite Meteorite End Cut, Plutonic Angrite, 1.09g, Protogranular Texture

An end cut of Rafsa 005, a plutonic angrite from Algeria

Rafsa 005 is classified as Angrite in the Meteoritical Bulletin, approved 15 October 2023 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 112 (2024). Its writeup gives the classification as achondrite (angrite U-S2 W3) and identifies it as a plutonic angrite. This specimen is an end cut weighing 1.09g. It is one of two halves of a single stone that Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. cut in two, and the companion 1.40g half is listed separately. The photographs show the exact specimen offered.

Structure and features

The cut face is dark, crossed by rust-toned veining, with pale flecks scattered through it. A yellow-green olivine grain is visible in the macro images. Olivine is the mineral the classification rests on: the Bulletin records the texture as dominated by Ca-bearing olivine. The uncut surfaces on this half are strongly weathered, with pale material filling cavities across much of the exterior, consistent with the weathering grade of W3 recorded in the Bulletin.

The Bulletin describes the recovered material as having an oriented shape with a wind-ablated exterior, and the cut face as showing dark red silicates and small metal grains with a protogranular texture. Protogranular means the mineral grains meet in an interlocking mosaic rather than sitting as fragments in a matrix, which is what forms when a rock cools slowly at depth rather than being assembled by impact.

Published petrography by A. Love at Appalachian State University describes a heterogeneous, brecciated, protogranular texture dominated by Ca-bearing olivine, with subordinate Al-Ti diopside and anorthite showing well developed triple grain boundaries. Average grain size is 475 micrometers. The sample contains Cr-bearing pleonaste spinels with plagioclase coronas comparable to those described from NWA 2999 by Kuehner et al. (2006). Additional minerals recorded are kamacite and troilite.

Published geochemistry from MB 112: olivine Fa39.8±0.5 with Fe/Mn 79.7±4.1 and CaO 0.8±0.1 wt% (n=14); diopside Fs11.1±0.5Wo51.8±0.8 with Al2O3 5.9±0.7 wt%, TiO2 1.5±0.4 wt% and Fe/Mn 101.5±21.6 (n=14); anorthite An99.4±0.2Or0.0±0.0 (n=8); Cr-bearing pleonaste spinels with Mg# 48.7±0.8, Al2O3 56.1±0.9 wt% and Cr2O3 6.7±0.8 wt% (n=11). The Bulletin records a shock stage of U-S2 and a weathering grade of W3.

Discovery and provenance

The Bulletin records that many stones totalling 2027g were found in July 2023 by Hameti and Omar Harras with family members of Salek Mrabih, 2.8 km northwest of Rafsa 004, north of Tindouf, Algeria. Salek Mrabih purchased the samples from the finders. The type specimen, 22.4g, together with a polished thin section, is on deposit at Appalachian State University. The main mass is held by Salek Mrabih of Dominions Meteors. Classification was carried out by A. Love at Appalachian State University and approved 15 October 2023, submitted by Anthony Love.

This specimen was acquired by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. and cut into two halves, this 1.09g piece and a companion of 1.40g. The two cut faces correspond to one another. That division is recorded here on the authority of Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. and is not part of the Bulletin entry.

The Bulletin notes that Rafsa 005 may be paired with Rafsa 004, a separate angrite recovered nearby.

Scientific context

As of August 2026, 1 of 67 approved meteorites classified as Angrite, as recorded in the Meteoritical Bulletin database. Angrites are a small group of achondrites and are among the oldest igneous rocks available for study, having crystallized within a few million years of the formation of the solar system. They are calcium-rich and alkali-poor, and their mineralogy of Ca-bearing olivine, aluminium and titanium rich diopside, and near-pure anorthite sets them apart from the more common basaltic achondrites.

Angrites divide broadly into quenched varieties, which cooled quickly at or near the surface, and plutonic varieties, which cooled slowly at depth. Rafsa 005 is a plutonic angrite: the protogranular texture, the well developed triple grain boundaries between crystals, and the coarse average grain size of 475 micrometers are the features that place it in that group. Further background is available in our Angrites collection.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rafsa 005 officially classified? Yes. It is classified as Angrite in the Meteoritical Bulletin, approved 15 October 2023 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 112 (2024). Offered by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA #3323.

What is an angrite? Angrites are a small group of stony achondrites: igneous rocks from a differentiated parent body, rich in calcium and poor in sodium and potassium. As of August 2026 the Meteoritical Bulletin database records 67 approved meteorites in the group.

What does plutonic mean here? A plutonic rock cooled slowly at depth rather than quickly at the surface. That slow cooling is what produces the coarse interlocking grains and clean triple junctions the Bulletin describes for this meteorite.

What is the companion piece? This stone was cut into two halves. This listing is the 1.09g half; the 1.40g half is listed separately. Either can be bought on its own, or both together to hold the stone as it was before cutting.

Who holds the main mass? The Meteoritical Bulletin records the main mass of Rafsa 005 as being with Salek Mrabih of Dominions Meteors. This specimen is a smaller piece acquired by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co.

Collector significance

Angrites are among the least common achondrite groups, and as of August 2026 the database lists 67 approved. This end cut weighs 1.09g and shows the protogranular interior on its cut face, including a visible olivine grain, which is the mineral the classification is built on. Rafsa 005 has a published Bulletin entry rather than a provisional one, so the classification data is settled.

Browse the full Angrites collection and the wider Stony Meteorites range.

Meteoritical Bulletin entry: Rafsa 005 | Classification: Angrite | Find, Tindouf, Algeria, 2023 | TKW 2027g | MB 112 (2024) | IMCA #3323