Hajmah (a) meteorite, Hajmah, Jiddat al Harasis, Al Wusta Region, Oman

Ureilite S2; W0-W2 (olivine-pigeonite lithology)
Find, 1958; 596 g

A small stone was discovered during oil prospecting in the Hajmah area of Oman. Some fusion crust remains. Like most ureilites, the primary constituents are olivine and pigeonite. Olivine grains (≤ 5 mm) are zoned, but the slightly smaller pigeonite grains ( ≤ 3 mm) are unzoned [Wo9Fs13]. Kamacite is very sparse. Fe-oxides in weathered veins are Ni- & Co-free. This suggests that most or all pre-terrestrial Fe-metal in the meteorite would have been Ni-poor as is frequently the case for ureilites.

Unusual neon-poor cosmogenic noble gases in Hajma (a) have been labelled Ne-U in some discussions. Most ureilites are very poor in both Ar-40 and He-4 indicating a very early lost of both the potassium and uranium which are often helpful in many chronometric studies. The exotic neon is presumably derived from graphite or diamond, but the phases are not specifically mentioned in the cited references.

Ureilites are the 2nd most common type of achondritic meteorites (differentiated stones). The main mass is with the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London.

What's in a name? Hajmah (b) and Hajmah (c) are ordinary chondrites (L6 and L5/6, resp.) which were found in the same general region of Oman.

Mineral List

4 entries listed. 2 valid minerals.

References

External Links