Impactite Monomict Breccia | 15.4 grams | Agoudal, Imilchil Structure | Morocco

This is a must have 15.4 gram Impactite, monomict impact breccia from the Agoudal, Imilchil impact structure, Morocco.  Although not a meteorite, impactites are directly linked to them and their impacts and are probably going to be one of the rarest collection items you'll ever own. Impactite is a slag-like glassy object found on the surface of the earth, formed from rock melted by the impact of a meteorite.

The term impactite encompasses shock-metamorphosed target rocks, melts or suevites and mixtures of the two, as well as sedimentary rocks with significant impact-derived components and shocked mineral grains, tektites, anomalous geochemical signatures, etc. According to the state of conservation of the meteorite into the sedimentary layers "Soltanian" and the dating of ancient lake sediments of the Isli lake, we can estimate their age limit to 40,000 years. 

More than 183 structures of meteoritical impacts are highlighted on the Earth, including only three reported dual impact craters. The impact craters of Isli and Tislit are respectively located at 10 km and 4 km from the Imilchil village on the Central High Atlas in Morocco at respective altitudes of 2272 and 2266 meters. They are spaced apart from each other by 9.4 km. The origin and the date of formation of these two lakes are still unknown today. Surveys undertaken near them and in the surrounding areas leads to believe that they correspond to a dual meteoritical impact crater.

Polymict and monomict breccias were observed at the edges of these craters but they don’t form big masses because of erosion. They consist of irregular fragments with millimeter and centimeter sizes, in a carbonate matrix. In the breccias collected on the southern edges of the Isli crater, we noted the presence of several shocked quartz grains in planar structures associated with rolling extinction, indicators of shock metamorphism. 

This gorgeous specimen displays very well with a mass of 38x31x21 mm. Would be a beautiful addition to any new or existing collection. Comes with a Canagem Collection specimen card.