SKU: 71071680733

NWA 18048 Eucrite-pmict Meteorite Slice, 119.29g, Mirror Polished Impact Breccia

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Description

NWA 18048 Eucrite-pmict Meteorite Slice, 119.29g, Mirror Polished Impact BrecciaImpact fused crustal fragments from asteroid 4 Vesta This 119. 29g eucrite pmict slice preserves a frozen record of ancient impact violence on Vesta's surface. Mirror polishing on one face reveals a complex mosaic where light and dark lithologies meet along sharp clast boundaries, interrupted by thick melt veins that flow through the matrix. The polymict texture shows fragments of different eucritic materials welded together during collision events

Impact-fused crustal fragments from asteroid 4 Vesta

This 119.29g eucrite-pmict slice preserves a frozen record of ancient impact violence on Vesta's surface. Mirror polishing on one face reveals a complex mosaic where light and dark lithologies meet along sharp clast boundaries, interrupted by thick melt veins that flow through the matrix. The polymict texture shows fragments of different eucritic materials welded together during collision events that fractured and re-cemented Vesta's basaltic crust billions of years ago.

The mirror finish brings exceptional clarity to features that would remain obscure in a natural or lightly polished surface. Clast edges stand in sharp relief against the surrounding matrix. Melt zones appear as dark, glassy regions where impact energy temporarily liquefied the rock. The size of this slice provides room to observe how different components relate spatially across the specimen, offering a window into the mechanical mixing processes that shaped Vesta's regolith.

At nearly 120 grams, this specimen represents a substantial example of classified polymict eucrite material. Complete slices of this size with professional mirror preparation occur infrequently in the collector market, particularly from meteorites with total known weights measured in single-digit kilograms.

Clast boundaries and impact melt features

The slice displays distinct eucritic clasts ranging from light gray to nearly black, each fragment representing a different episode of volcanism or impact processing on Vesta. Where clasts meet, boundaries range from sharp fracture lines to gradational zones where impact heating partially melted and mixed adjacent materials. The mirror polish reveals crystalline structure within individual clasts, showing the original igneous texture of Vestan basalt frozen at various cooling rates.

Melt veins cut across clast boundaries in multiple orientations, recording separate impact events that fractured already-brecciated material. These veins appear darker than surrounding clasts due to rapid quenching from molten to solid state. Some melt zones reach several millimeters in width, indicating significant local heating. The distribution of melt throughout the slice suggests this material comes from a zone that experienced repeated impact gardening rather than a single catastrophic collision.

Shock features visible under magnification include planar fractures in pyroxene crystals and deformation textures along grain boundaries. The preservation of these features alongside the coarse clast structure indicates shock pressures sufficient to melt and mix without completely homogenizing the original components.

Basaltic volcanism and the HED parent body

Eucrites formed from magma oceans on asteroid 4 Vesta approximately 4.565 billion years ago, shortly after solar system formation. As Vesta's interior differentiated, less dense silicate melts rose to form a basaltic crust while metal and dense silicates sank toward the core. The eucritic clasts in this specimen represent fragments of that ancient crust, each potentially from different lava flows or plutonic intrusions that crystallized at varying depths and cooling rates.

The polymict classification indicates this meteorite consists of multiple lithologic components mixed through impact gardening. Vesta's lack of atmosphere and geological activity meant that impacts remained the sole mechanism for reworking surface materials over billions of years. Each collision fractured bedrock, ejected material, and deposited mixed ejecta that became lithified through compression and impact heating. The clasts in NWA 18048 may have originated kilometers apart on Vesta's surface before being combined in the impact event that created this breccia.

NASA's Dawn mission confirmed Vesta as the HED parent body through detailed spectral mapping and crater analysis. Dawn data showed that major impact basins excavated deep enough to expose subsurface lithologies and create extensive ejecta blankets of mixed material. This specimen likely formed in such an environment before being launched into space by a subsequent impact energetic enough to overcome Vesta's gravity. For more context on how scientists identify and classify space rocks, visit our guide: Learn About Meteorites.

Frequently asked questions

Is this meteorite authenticated? NWA 18048 received official classification as eucrite-pmict through analysis and submission to the Meteoritical Society. The classification appears in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database: NWA 18048. This specimen includes a certificate of authenticity documenting its provenance and classification.

What does polymict mean in eucrite-pmict? Polymict indicates the specimen contains clasts of different lithologic types mixed together, as opposed to monomict breccias where all fragments come from the same parent rock. In eucrites, this typically means multiple generations of basaltic material combined through impact gardening on Vesta's surface. The "pmict" abbreviation distinguishes these impact breccias from single-lithology eucrites that cooled as intact igneous bodies.

What is included with this specimen? You receive the 119.29g mirror-polished slice shown in the photographs and a certificate of authenticity. No display stand is included unless separately noted.

Why is this specimen mirror polished? Mirror polishing reveals internal structure that remains hidden in rough or naturally weathered surfaces. The technique uses progressively finer abrasives to create an optically flat surface that shows clast boundaries, melt veins, crystal structure, and compositional variations with maximum clarity. For eucrite-pmict specimens, mirror finishing is the optimal preparation method to display the complex brecciation that defines the classification.

How did this meteorite reach Earth from Vesta? Large impacts on Vesta eject material at velocities exceeding the asteroid's escape velocity (approximately 360 meters per second). Ejected fragments enter independent solar orbits until gravitational interactions or additional collisions alter their trajectories. Some eventually intersect Earth's orbit. The time between ejection and Earth arrival can range from hundreds of thousands to millions of years. Cosmic ray exposure studies on HED meteorites suggest typical transit times of several million years.

Display-grade specimen from a restricted inventory

Large mirror-polished eucrite slices appear infrequently in the collector market. Most polymict eucrite material available consists of small fragments, partial slices, or unpolished end cuts. Complete slices exceeding 100 grams with professional mirror preparation represent a small fraction of available inventory across all dealers. The preparation quality in this specimen, flat polishing without edge rollover, uniform finish, preserved clast structure, indicates experienced laboratory work rather than amateur processing.

This piece functions equally well as a research reference, teaching specimen, or display centerpiece. The size provides enough surface area to observe multiple melt generations and clast relationships simultaneously, while the mirror finish allows direct observation of mineralogy and texture under magnification. Collectors focusing on differentiated asteroids, impact processes, or eucrites specifically will find this specimen demonstrates key features of polymict impact breccias from Vesta's ancient crust. For those building comprehensive HED collections, substantial polymict examples complement monomict eucrites and diogenites by illustrating the mechanical mixing processes that dominated Vesta's surface evolution. Browse our full selection of Vestan materials: HED Meteorites.

Meteoritical Bulletin entry: NWA 18048 | Classification: Eucrite-pmict | Find, Northwest Africa, 2024

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SKU: 71071680733

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B. Stubby
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 3
A familiar story, just with…..less.
Format: Kindle
So, as other reviewers make clear, this is very similar to Pack Darling and The Beta. It’s much closer aligned with The Beta, in plot and maybe more like Pack Darling with characters. That being said, I don’t hate this…..but it wasn’t great either. It’s both books mentioned but just….less. Less angst, less emotion, less feeling. The plot feels very half fleshed out, and the “bad guy” feels underwhelming. I didn’t really feel any real emotions from and of the male leads, except maybe Oliver. The others fell sorta flat for me. And Mika makes herself out to be this big bad ass straight outta training and then we never see it from here again with the one fitting room incident as the exception. SPOILER: The whole, “Oh, I’m actually probably an Omega, but I don’t wanna be but I do actually wanna be but no one can ever know my secret that I do nothing to hide “ thing fell so flat. She never commutes to believing she was secretly an omega, but also mentions her “secret” a lot. It just felt so manufactured. I’m intrigued enough to read part 2 and see how the author closes everything out, but this is not one I’ll recommend or ever come back to.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
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SR
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Good start to a series
Format: Kindle
I delayed reading the series for reasons I don’t remember. But my TBR list is huge so I thought I’d take a shot of this and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t think the blurb about it was anything special. But it was a very good book. It took some interesting twists and turns. I am so glad the second book is already out. Because I would not have waited patiently. Very slow burn but good storyline. 🔥🔥/5
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Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2025
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Jammie Clark
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 4
A good read
Format: Kindle
Multiple points of view. 3 Alpha men and an Omega male. She is a Beta in training for a new program placing betas in Alpha/Omega packs. Mila is only doing the program for the money to take care of her dad. She wasn't expecting to fall for a pack but when she sees this packs Omega she is done for. There is just something about him. His Alphas are good looking as well. Too bad she is hiding a secret and their government is acting shady. I liked it and can't wait to see where their story goes.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2023
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Bri Hires
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 3
Slightly repetitive but I did love some things
Format: Kindle
I love this type of story. And omegaverse is one of my all time favorite genres. But there are a few things that pulled me out of my enjoyment while I was reading. It was repetitive at times as well as struggled with telling not showing. So we didn’t always feel like we were experiencing things with the main character. There were also some plot holes but they may still be answered in part 2. Now this isn’t to be said I didn’t enjoy parts of the story. I loved the almost instant love between Mila and Oliver. And how he started changing around her.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2024
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Kimberly G
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
delightful read
Format: Kindle
What a delightful read. The characters are awesome, the plot was so good, I loved it. I was intrigued and it kept me wanting more. Told in multiple pov, the book sucks you in and doesn’t let go. I cannot wait to read the next book.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2025

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