Martian Meteorite Boudenib 004

BOUDENIB 004  

Shergottite (Martian meteorite)  

Found in eastern Morocco, 2024

660 grams. 2 13/16 x 3 3/16 x 2 3/8 inches (7.2 x 8.1 x 6 cm)

For a 360-spin view of the meteorite, click here.

Shergottites are the most abundant family of Martian meteorites, named after the town of Shergotty in India where the first witnessed fall of such a stone occurred in 1865. Boudenib 004, however, is within that family singular. Found in eastern Morocco in 2024, this 660-gram stone is distinguished by an unusual crystalline structure: unusually elongate bladed crystals of pyroxene running through the specimen's interior. This texture has not been documented in any other known Martian meteorite, making this specimen morphologically unique among all recovered Martian material.

Like some terrestrial lavas, the stone is inferred to have crystallised from magma either on the Martian surface or at shallow depth. Age dating studies have not yet been completed, leaving open a further chapter of scientific discovery for the next custodian of this stone. Other shergottites have established crystallisation ages ranging from 150 million to 2.4 billion years.

All Martian meteorites were ejected from the surface of Mars by an asteroid impact with sufficient energy to overcome the planet's gravity, before travelling through space and arriving on Earth. The combination of Boudenib 004's recent discovery, its unique pyroxene structure, and its undetermined crystallisation age makes it among the most scientifically open — and visually distinctive — Martian stones currently available to collectors.