• Meteorite Type: HED Achondrite / Eucrite
• Location: Libya
• Weight: 1.3g
• Dimensions: 27 x 15 x 1 mm
• Year of discovery: 2022
• Known total weight: 2.5 tonnes
• Surface treatment: cut, Polished slice
• DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Jikharra 001 Meteorite – a Massive Eucrite from Asteroid Vesta Jikharra 001 is a stony meteorite discovered in northeastern Libya in 2022. It is an HED-type Achondrite, specifically a eucritic melt breccia. The total mass of recovered fragments exceeds 2.5 tons, making this discovery one of the largest known eucritic meteorites. Jikharra 001 is composed of lithic fragments of plagioclase and pyroxene, embedded in a melt matrix formed by shock melting. These minerals provide valuable insights into geological processes on asteroid 4 Vesta, which is considered the source of most eucritic meteorites. Vesta is the second-largest object in the main asteroid belt and has been struck by numerous large impacts throughout its history, ejecting surface material into space. These events created craters on Vesta that are visible today thanks to space probes. Composition and significance of eucrites Eucrites are particularly interesting because they are considered volcanic rocks similar to those found on Earth. They are primarily composed of basalt or gabbro, both igneous rocks, and contain minerals like plagioclase and pyroxene. Together with diogenites and howardites, they form a group of meteorites known as HED meteorites, named after their main types (Howardite–Eucrite–Diogenite).