Northwest Africa 7325

Northwest Africa 7325, also known as NWA 7325 is the first meteorite believed to have originated from Mercury. Found in a marketplace in Erfoud, Morocco in April 2012, the meteorite is composed of 35 fragments with a combined weight of approximately 345 grams (12.2 oz). Investigation of the meteorite by Anthony Irving at the University of Washington determined that the meteorite's composition is consistent with that of Mercury as determined by the MESSENGER spacecraft. Irving cautioned, however, that NWA 7325 could also have come from a smaller but Mercury-like body; an alternative explanation offered is that NWA 7325 may be a primitive achondrite. Notable for its green fusion crust and high-magnesium/low-iron composition, NWA 7325 is estimated to be 4.56 billion years old and was likely ejected from Mercury on an Earth-intersecting trajectory by an impact.