Lot 4
A SLICE OF THE PLANET MARS
NWA 2737, CHASSIGNITE
Auction: 28 May 2026 from 13:00 BST
Description
one of the rarest objects on Earth, a specimen of rock from the planet Mars, coarse-grained olivine, set within a dark grey crystalline matrix, with fine fissures from impact visible throughout
Dimensions
1.5g, 4.7cm diameter
Provenance
Bruno Fetcay, France
Lucy Cullen, United Kingdom
Robert Elliot, United Kingdom
Footnote
The present example is a rare Martian meteorite, part of the small group known as SNCs, named after the type specimens Shergotty, Nakhla and Chassigny. Material from Mars accounts for only about 0.4% of all known meteorites, and within this already exclusive category, chassignites are among the least common, with only a few recognised examples.
Designated NWA 2737, this specimen is composed predominantly of olivine, an iron-magnesium silicate that crystallised deep within a magma chamber beneath the Martian surface. As these crystals formed, they settled under gravity, creating the distinctive mosaic-like structure seen today. The rock was later ejected from Mars by a powerful asteroid impact, an event that subjected it to intense shock, leaving fine fissures running through its dark, olivine-rich matrix.
Formed deep within Mars and later launched into space by a catastrophic impact, this specimen represents material from the Martian interior, a region otherwise beyond reach. Its mineralogy offers valuable insight into the composition and evolution of the red planet, making it of considerable scientific interest. Examples of this type are seldom available, representing a rare opportunity to acquire a genuine fragment of Mars itself.