H5-6Gao, Mali

Having fallen to Earth hundreds of years ago, the first Dar el Kahal meteorite was found in 2012 by a nomad searching for artifacts in northern Mali. Following this discovery a systematic gridding of the area ensued and additional masses were recovered. Dar El Kahal is a meteorite breccia (a rock composed of smaller fragments fused together). It is comprised of very metamorphosed, highly recrystallized type-6 chondritic material and somewhat less-metamorphosed, moderately recrystallized type-5 fragments. The rock from which this meteorite originated was shocked by an impact event, shattered and heated on its parent asteroid long before it was launched on its journey toward Earth. The variations of tonality now seen reveal the brecciation and is in part due to the selective tinting which occurs as a result of the meteorite remaining on the desert floor exposed to the elements for centuries. This is a splendid cross section of a meteorite breccia.