L5-IMB (impact melt breccia)Sahara Desert, North West Africa

In June 2008 a prosaic-looking 564-gram meteorite was purchased in Guelmim, Morocco. Like the best piñatas, worldly or otherwise, only when these objects are opened do they become a treasure to behold. Such is the case with NWA 5407, which provides a fascinating peek as to what can occur when two extraterrestrial bodies traveling at high cosmic velocity collide in interplanetary space. One might anticipate the results would not be pretty, but that’s not the case as it pertains to the spectacular specimen now offered. There are three different lithologies within NWA 5407. There is a layer of completely melted material, as well as layers of extensively melted and partially melted material. Fine-grained crystallized impact melt is what has cemented these different zones together. If this rock had been cut perpendicularly, the three different lithologies seen in one slice might not have been seen and the features that make this so special may have never been noticed.