NWA 978, R3.8

There’s not much in the Meteoritical Bulletin other than the basic information: R3.8, S3, W2, total known weight: 722 grams.

Of note: this meteorite and NWA 753 are different stones. And NWA 978 is not brecciated. Many dealers have mislabeled NWA 753 (fresh, grey interior) and other brecciated R-chondrites as NWA 978. NWA 978 is a little atypical for an R-chondrite; it isn’t brecciated, and it is uniformly oxidized to a brown interior.

Here are some photos of the 1,206 gram main mass of NWA 978. This specimen was the second-largest R-chondrite known for many years, until some large NWA finds were made.