Tarkint 001 Martian Meteorite Full Slice 1.27g

Tarkint 001 Martian meteorite, 1.27 g full slice

This specimen is a full slice of Tarkint 001, an olivine-phyric shergottite from the Gao region of Mali. Tarkint 001 was approved by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society on 21 December 2025 and published in the Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 114, with a recommended classification of Martian (shergottite). A full slice is cut edge to edge across the stone, so the cross section is complete rather than partial.

Weight is 1.27 grams. The specimen ships with a Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. certificate of authenticity listing meteorite name, classification, weight and form. Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. is IMCA #3323.

Structure and features

Both faces of this specimen are cut faces. They show millimeter-sized brown-green olivine phenocrysts set in a light tan, fine-grained groundmass across the complete cross section. This slice carries no fusion crust. The Meteoritical Bulletin records dark, slightly abraded fusion crust partially covering the exterior of the recovered stones, and that crust is not present on an interior slice such as this one.

Electron microprobe analysis of a polished mount by C. Agee at the Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico, established the petrography. Olivine phenocrysts display core-rim igneous zoning. Plagioclase has been fully converted to maskelynite, the glassy phase that forms when plagioclase is shocked. The groundmass is composed of fine-grained pigeonite and maskelynite, with minor chromite, Ti-magnetite and troilite distributed throughout.

The Meteoritical Bulletin records Tarkint 001 at shock stage high and weathering grade low.

Discovery and provenance

In 2025, fragments of a meteorite were found in a desert area roughly 60 km east of the village of Tarkint and approximately 150 km northeast of the city of Gao, Mali. The discovery was made during a local field survey, where the surface features of the stones drew the attention of the field researchers. Recovery coordinates are 17.4959263 N, 0.6428554 E.

The total collected mass was approximately 2 kg, recovered as several pieces. The material was purchased by Ali Muftah in 2025, who holds the main mass. A 48 g type specimen is on deposit at the University of New Mexico. Eric Twelker holds a 410.7 g piece. The meteorite was submitted for classification by C. Agee under the field name AWM-200, with geochemistry by T. Shisseh at UNM.

Scientific context

Shergottites are igneous rocks from Mars and make up the largest of the three main Martian meteorite groups. Olivine-phyric shergottites are defined by olivine crystals that grew large enough to stand out as phenocrysts within a finer-grained groundmass, a texture that records early crystallization in a magma before the remaining melt solidified.

Reported mineral chemistry for Tarkint 001 is olivine Fa32.6±12.1 with Fe/Mn of 53±4 (n=13); pigeonite Fs23.3±3.2 Wo4.9±2.2 with Fe/Mn of 30±1 (n=17); and maskelynite An54.9±3.5 Ab44.7±3.5 (n=4).

The classification notes that the macroscopic texture of Tarkint 001 is reminiscent of NWA 10416, but states the two meteorites are not paired. Tarkint 001 lacks augite and altered olivine, it contains maskelynite only with no remnant plagioclase present, and its olivine is significantly more forsteritic than that of NWA 10416.

Tarkint 001 was published in Gattacceca J., Grossman J. N., Weisberg M. M., Greshake A., Almeida N. V., Cartier C., Friedrich J. M., Goodrich C., Joy K. H., Schoenbaechler M., Schrader D. L., Yabuta H. and Zhang B. (2026), The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 114, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 61, 942-946, doi:10.1111/maps.70157. That bulletin lists 24 Martian meteorites among the meteorites approved in 2025.

For background on how a meteorite reaches an official classification, see our guide to the Meteoritical Bulletin, and for an overview of the group see what is a Martian meteorite.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tarkint 001 an officially classified meteorite?

Yes. Tarkint 001 was approved on 21 December 2025 and published in the Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 114, with the recommended classification Martian (shergottite). The full entry is public in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database.

What does olivine-phyric mean?

It describes an igneous texture in which olivine crystals grew large enough to stand out as visible phenocrysts within a finer-grained groundmass. In Tarkint 001 these appear as millimeter-sized brown-green grains against a light tan matrix.

What is maskelynite?

Maskelynite is plagioclase feldspar that has been converted to glass by shock pressure without melting in the ordinary sense. Its presence is one of the features that records the impact event that launched the rock off the Martian surface.

What is a full slice?

A full slice is cut completely across a stone, edge to edge, so the face shows the entire interior cross section. A part slice or end cut shows only a portion of that section.

How much Tarkint 001 was recovered?

The Meteoritical Bulletin records a total collected mass of approximately 2 kg, recovered as several pieces, with a 48 g type specimen on deposit at the University of New Mexico.

Does this specimen come with documentation?

Yes. Every specimen ships with a Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. certificate of authenticity recording the meteorite name, classification, weight and form. We are IMCA member #3323.

Collector significance

As of 27 July 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin Database lists Tarkint 001 as 1 of 366 approved meteorites classified as Martian (shergottite). Every gram of Martian material in private hands arrives the same way, as a fragment blasted off the surface of Mars by an impact, carried through space, and later recovered on Earth. There is no other supply route, since returned Martian samples do not exist and Apollo-style collection has never been performed on Mars.

With a total collected mass near 2 kg and the main mass held privately, cut material from Tarkint 001 is what circulates. A full slice at gram scale offers a complete cross section of the interior texture, including the olivine phenocrysts and groundmass that define the classification, in a size that suits a working collection rather than an institutional one. Additional Martian material is listed in our Martian meteorites collection.

The complete official record for this meteorite, including petrography, geochemistry and specimen distribution, is available in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database entry for Tarkint 001.