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The red plateau : Hammada al Hamra |
| Hammada al Hamra plateau is the second greatest place in Libya where meteorites have been found for ten years. It's a very large area which covers 60000 square kilometers (200 x 120 miles). Located in the North-West of the Libyan republic, it extends on three hundred kilometers from west to east. Majority of this plateau is covered by calcareous stones and a little grass grows in depressions. Meteorites from here take the official name of HaH xxx. |
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To drive up the Hammada Plateau you must use tracks which follow the beds of the wadis. Wadi or oued are the names of the Saharan rivers, always dry except just after one rain (rare!). In fact generally there is water but only at few meters under the surface of the ground. Some trees survive, if their roots are enough long. More than 400 meteorites from many different old falls were found, especially on its Eastern part. As we often reach the Hammada by the west, we must cross 200 kilometers (125 miles) of these rocky lands, following tracks, before joining the good spot on the Eastern side. Perhaps the hunters are in a hurry to arrive on the best place, perhaps they drive too quickly, whatever the reason: |
Be careful !
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Nowadays, cars are continuing to crush meteorites! |
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"Willy", a poor 30 kg chondrite, alone on this hostile planet |
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(We have moved it on a safe area, it's the job of any hunter to protect meteorites from damaging!) It's rather difficult to prospect here, the eyes are the first tool we need for a visual survey of the ground, but with all these stones around, it's hard to discern a black and unusual one. On this part of the Hammada the rate of meteorites find are just one per 200 square kilometers. The potential places for a successful hunt are rare and they require much time to be correctly prospected. We have however some nice pieces from here: |
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2625 grams, H6 chondrite |
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| There is example in history of regmaglypts which were read as divine signals, they were thought to represent the face of the goddess herself, and the meteorite was consequently used as the head of the cult statue. (see Gods who fell from sky, on Meteorite! May issue) |
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H5 chondrite |
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This other meteorite from the Hammadah al Hamra region, is a 5,055g mass with a distinct black fusion crust. It had numerous smaller fragments scattered around it. Microprobe analyses gave a fayalite composition of Fa 17.2 (n=25) and a pyroxene composition of Fs 15.4, Wo 1.5 (n=14). Plagioclase was also in evidence. Petrographically, partial chondrules are readily apparent as well as a few whole ones lacking clearly delineated edges. Lithic fragments are very abundant, along with occasional large dark clasts. Classification: P.P. Sipiera, Schmitt Meteorite Research Group, Harper College, G. Jerman, Material Processing Laboratory and R.B. Hoover, Space Science Laboratory, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, USA. |
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Slice (X 5)
TKW (Total Known Weight) = 5055gr |
| We think that many meteorites are still waiting for a scrupulous hunter on the Hammada al Hamra region. But before going hunting in Saharan countries, always remember that you must adopt a sensible and responsible approach to the preservation of meteoritic material. In particular, we urge everyone to make a small part (20 gr) of all new fall or find available for research. |
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