Collection
Classification: Diogenite (DIO)
Observed fall: No
Year found: 2020
City, Country: Hodh El Gharbi, Mauritania
Mass: 1830 g
In collection
Weight #1 : 7,7 g
Certificate of authenticity: Yes (1)
Dekkaliat is classified as a Diogenite (DIO) meteorite, an achondrite that likely originated from the deep crust or upper mantle of 4 Vesta. Diogenites are composed predominantly of orthopyroxene, reflecting slow cooling and crystallization within a differentiated parent body. In Dekkaliat, coarse-grained orthopyroxene dominates the rock’s texture, occasionally accompanied by small amounts of olivine or other accessory minerals like chromite. Its igneous character and mineral composition offer key insights into the internal structure, magmatic processes, and collisional history of one of the earliest-formed bodies in the asteroid belt.
When examining a thin section of Dekkaliat – a Diogenite (DIO) under a light microscope, you primarily observe large, well-formed orthopyroxene crystals that exhibit straight extinction and low first-order interference colors under polarized light. These grains often appear colorless to pale brown in plane-polarized light, and their high relief makes them stand out prominently. Minor olivine or chromite inclusions may appear as darker, high-relief grains within the orthopyroxene-dominated matrix. Cleavage planes, fractures, and subhedral to anhedral grain boundaries hint at the rock’s magmatic origin and slow cooling deep within the crust or upper mantle of its parent body—likely 4 Vesta. This coarse-grained, crystalline texture highlights the igneous processes that shaped the diogenitic material before it was ejected by collision and eventually found on Earth.
