NWA 7034

Northwest Africa 7034
Northwest Africa 7034, nicknamed "Black Beauty"
Type	Achondrite
Clan	Martian meteorite
Grouplet	Martian (basaltic breccia)
Composition	Plagioclase and pyroxene phenocrysts in a fine groundmass.
Weathering grade	Minimal
Country	Morocco
Coordinates	Unknown (purchased from dealer)
Observed fall	No
Found date	2011
TKW	320 grams (11 oz)

Northwest Africa 7034 is a Martian meteorite believed to be the second oldest yet discovered. It is estimated to be two billion years old and contains the most water of any Martian meteorite found on earth. Although it is from Mars it does not fit into any of the three SNC meteorite categories, and forms a new Martian meteorite group named "Martian (basaltic breccia)". Nicknamed "Black Beauty", it was purchased in Morocco and a slice of it was donated to the University of New Mexico by its American owner.

The meteorite was found in the Sahara Desert in 2011 and was purchased in Morocco by a meteorite dealer who sold it to a collector in the United States. For this reason the exact geographic coordinates of the find location are unknown, and the strong possibility that meteorites reported to have been found in Morocco are often not (but Morocco does not have meteorite export control laws). Like all meteorites that are found in large numbers or sold at markets the name stands for the geographic region (Northwest Africa) and a number, which is given out consecutively. NWA 7034 carries the nickname "Black Beauty".

NWA 7034 is a volcanic breccia that has a porphyritic appearance, consisting of plagioclase (andesine) and pyroxene (pigeonite and augite) phenocrysts that are up to 5 mm in diameter set in a fine grained groundmass. Accessory minerals include chlorapatite, chromite, goethite, ilmenite, magnetite, maghemite, alkali feldspar and pyrite. There are even some clasts present that are made of quenched magma. The groundmass is made from fine grained plagioclase, pyroxene, different oxide minerals, and traces of iron sulfides. The whole rock chemistry revealed that NWA 7034 has the highest water content ever measured in a Martian meteorite. The water might be derived from oceans that used to exist on Mars, but were still present when the volcanic rock, that would eventually become the meteorite, was erupted.