Diogenites are named for Diogenes of Apollonia, an ancient Greek philosopher who was the first to suggest an outer space origin for meteorites. They believed to originate from deep within the crust of the asteroid 4 Vesta, and as such are part of the HED meteorite clan. Composed of igneous rocks of plutonic origin, having solidified slowly enough deep within Vesta’s crust to form crystals which are larger than in the eucrites. These crystals are primarily magnesium-rich orthopyroxene, with small amounts of plagioclase and olivine. [wiki]
Located shortly after the fall, it has fresh black fusion crusted on four sides (more thab 50% of the specimen). The view into the interior contrasts the black crust with bright and pristine diogenite breccia. A complex combination of diogenic crystals and fine grains melts between them. This sample is about 3/4 of an inch. Displays nicely in a membrane frame (included)
24 x 21 x 20 mm
15.7 g fragment$950.00
At least 25kg of meteorites with fresh black fusion crust were collected after a widely witnessed meteorite shower. Pieces are reported to have fallen in the villages of Bilanga-Yanga and Gomponsago. Diogenites are a relatively rare type of meteorite. Macroscopic native copper up to 2mm has been observed in Bilinga.
