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This specimen is a sample extracted from the mercury deposits of the Guelma area in Algeria, most likely before the mid-1950s. The accompanying handwritten label indicates that it comes from the Guelma area and from the collection of Jean Chervet (1904-1962). Chervet, whose name identifies the mineral chervetite, was a French mineralogist and collector, and director of the Mineralogy Service of the Atomic Energy Commission in France since 1948.
It is a compact piece of cinnabar, with red powdery crusts and small crystals. It is accompanied by colorless crystals of cerussite and yellow powdery 'bindheimite' (analyzed by SEM-EDS). Probably from Djebel Taya mercury mines. An interesting specimen as a species, provenance, and collection.
Initially, some lunar meteorites were found by a nomad while he was grazing in the Bechar DCA in Algeria. Adrián Contreras Gómez and Carlos Muñecas Muñoz organized a search expedition including four local people for 14 days in June 2022 in the area 9.0 km heading 94.7° from Bechar 003. A large number of pieces of different sizes were found at the surface and subsurface.
The cut face shows the interior has a brecciated texture composed of light-colored clasts within a darker matrix. Sample is a partially vesicular polymict feldspathic breccia composed of mm-sized lithic clasts and abundant shocked mineral clasts. Lithic clasts show poikilitic, granulitic and shock melted vitric brecciated textures. Additional minerals are: FeNi metal, ilmenite, troilite and rare phosphate minerals.
Bechar 007 30°53.62’N, 3°23.7017’O, Bechar, Algeria. Find: June 2022. Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia).