H5 Bassikounou, Hodh Ech Chargui, Mauritania (15°47' N, 5°54' W)

In the southeast corner of Mauritania, extremely close to the Malian border, a bright fireball was observed at 1 P.M. on October 16, 2006. More than 20 stones fell from the sky and formed a strewn field that extended about 8 kilometers across the landscape. The rock from which this meteorite originated was shocked on its parent asteroid; metal and sulfide grains melted and metallic copper grains formed.

While scientists frequently ignore the fusion crusts of meteorites as it is material that has been altered by frictional heating, it is a sought-after commodity in the collecting community — and this is a fine example. When a meteorite impacts Earth, portions of the fusion crust can break off. Moreover, when a meteorite is exposed to Earth’s elements, the first portion of a meteorite that will decompose and slough-off is its crust. A small window to the matrix in the upper corner is seen in this fine example.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.


92 x 54 x 62mm (3.66 x 2 x 2.5 in.) and 433g (1 lb)