Description
Location: Tunisia
Weight: 0.4 Ounces (Display)
Dimensions: 2.3 Inches Long, 1.5 Inches Wide, 0.6 Inches Thick (Display)
Comes with a Free Display Case.
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
Tatahouine Diogenite is a type of achondrite meteorite, meaning it is a stony meteorite that has undergone differentiation and crystallization similar to processes in planetary bodies. Diogenites are believed to originate from asteroid 4 Vesta, one of the largest bodies in the asteroid belt. Studying these meteorites provides insights into the formation and early evolution of the solar system.
Diogenites are mainly composed of orthopyroxene, a mineral rich in iron and magnesium, which gives them a dark color and dense structure. They may also contain olivine, plagioclase, and metallic phases, with variations reflecting different cooling histories or parent body processes. Their coarse-grained texture is due to slow cooling, and some exhibit a cumulate texture, indicating formation from settling crystals in molten magma.
The formation of diogenites is linked to Vesta’s geological history. As basaltic magma cooled on Vesta, heavier minerals like orthopyroxene crystallized and settled, forming layers. Impacts eventually ejected these rocks into space, where they later fell to Earth.
Diogenites are part of the HED (Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite) group. Howardites are mixtures of eucrite and diogenite, while eucrites are basaltic rocks with different mineral compositions. This classification helps trace their origins and understand the evolution of Vesta and other similar bodies in the solar system.