CHASSIGNY FRAGMENT FROM MARS — THE HOLY GRAIL OF MARTIAN METEORITES - photo 1

CHASSIGNY FRAGMENT FROM MARS — THE HOLY GRAIL OF MARTIAN METEORITES

Sold
$ 16 380
Auction dateClassic
23.02.2022 00:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 716392
Lot 7 | CHASSIGNY FRAGMENT FROM MARS — THE HOLY GRAIL OF MARTIAN METEORITES
Less than 0.5% of meteorites are from Mars. Martian meteorites are often referred to in the scientific literature as SNCs (after the type specimens Shergotty, Nakhla and Chassigny — cities in India, Egypt and France, where these meteorites were seen to fall). Among the three principal types of Martian meteorites, chassignites are the least common; less than 1% of all Martian meteorites are chassignites and only three chassignites are known. Chassignites consist mainly of olivine that formed within a magma chamber deep under the Martian surface. As the crystals grew, gravity caused them to settle toward the bottom of the chamber. A tremendously energetic asteroid impact was required to blast these subterranean Martian mantle samples into interplanetary space.

The most challenging chassignite to acquire is a sample of Chassigny itself. Chassigny fell mid-morning on October 3, 1815 and curiously, 147 years later to the day, the Martian shergottite Zagami (see lot 36) fell in Nigeria. They also fell at approximately the same time of day and both events occurred on what is uncannily nearly the same line of longitude. This gave rise to a theory espoused by Dr. Allan Treiman of NASA’s Johnson Space Center of the existence of a stream of Martian meteoroids that periodically intersects Earth’s orbit.

Of the four kilograms of Chassigny documented to have been recovered in 1815, less than one kilogram is preserved. This diminutive cut fragment exhibits a distinctive green hue. The cut and polished face reveals grains of olivine and pyroxene. A cut mark is on the reverse in this offering of one of the Holy Grails in the field of meteoritics — a specimen of Chassigny, an exotic sample of the mantle of the planet Mars. Modern cutting.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.

5 x 9 x 6mm (0.2 x 0.3 x 0.2 in.) and 0.791g (4 carats)

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.02.2022 – 23.02.2022
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.