Itqiy meteorite, al-Saqiyah al-Hamra'a (Saguia el Hamra), Western Saharai

Regional Level Types
Itqiy meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
al-Saqiyah al-Hamra'a (Saguia el Hamra)	Wadi
Western Sahara	Disputed Territory

Primitive Enstatite Achondrite [or Shock-melted Enstatite Chondrite]
1990 fall. 2 pieces, 410g and 4310g.

After a striking burst of light-and-sound, a 410 g stone was recovered by a nomad. A decade later a 4.31 kg stone was recovered — and the news of Itqiy spread.

The dominant constituent of Itqiy is enstatite accompanied by kamacite (~ 25 vol%) and tiny kamacite-sulfide intergrowths. The very reduced mineralogy, the oxygen isotopes, and the cosmic ray exposure age all indicate that Itqiy is a member of the Enstatite-rich meteorite clan, initially described as an Enstatite chondrite, but beyond that classification is elusive. The enstatite resembles that of EL chondrites, but the metal is closer in composition to that of EH chondrites. Furthermore, Itqiy lacks chondrules and chondrule relics. This may be entirely due to impact melting from pre-terrestrial shock, but that is a hypothesis — not a conclusion. To begin with, there is apparently no consensus on the level of shock.

The actual issues are deeper than that. Over two decades ago Klaus Keil (1989) argued that the Enstatite meteorites were derived from a minimum of four parent bodies (EH and EL chondrites, normal aubrites, and the Shallowater parent body). Recently, however, it has become increasingly difficult to accommodate several Enstatite meteorites into the four homeworld framework. Worlds that have been completely melted (e.g., Happy Canyon, Itqiy, NWA 2526) are especially difficult to understand. First, disentangling the effects of internally generated metamorphism from external shock(s) is difficult. Secondly, it is not clear whether all of the Enstatite-rich oddballs are derived from the four putative homeworlds. Recently, Keil and Bischoff (2008) have proposed that Itqiy and NWA 2526 may be derived from a fifth parent body.

References

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itqiy_meteorite
Wikidata ID:	Q1449768

External Links

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