FIND LOCATION: Northwest Africa, Sahara Desert WEIGHT: 188 g DIMENSIONS: Approximately 6.5 cm A beautiful unclassified ordinary chondrite recovered from the Sahara Desert of Northwest Africa, most likely discovered by local nomads during meteorite searches in the region. The specimen displays a relatively well-preserved ablation surface, indicating a low degree of terrestrial weathering, as well as abundant iron-nickel flakes suggesting a likely H-type ordinary chondrite. Impact melt veins easily observed throughout the polished surface indicate a relative high shock stage. Ordinary chondrites are the most common class of meteorites found on Earth, yet they remain exceedingly rare compared to terrestrial rocks. They are composed primarily of ancient silicate chondrules — small spherical grains that formed during the earliest stages of our Solar System over 4.5 billion years ago. This meteorite likely originated from the crust of a larger asteroid located within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Meteorites of this type are typically classified as H, L, or LL chondrites depending on their metal content and mineral composition. Precise classification of this specimen would require laboratory analysis involving the removal of a small sample section. An excellent display specimen and a genuine piece of early Solar System history. I am a member of the Meteoritical Society (#7743) and have been collecting meteorites for over 15 years.