The Gold Basin meteorite is one of the most famous meteorite strewn fields in North America, discovered in 1995 in the Mojave Desert of northwestern Arizona near the White Hills. The first specimen was found by University of Arizona professor Jim Kriegh while prospecting for gold with a metal detector in a network of desert arroyos. What initially seemed like a single meteorite quickly turned into something much larger: thousands of individual stones were eventually recovered across an enormous strewn field spanning more than 200 square kilometers. Researchers determined the meteorite is an L4 chondrite, meaning it is composed of fragmented asteroid material that had already been broken apart and reassembled before arriving on Earth. Cosmogenic isotope dating revealed the fall itself likely occurred around 15,000 years ago during the late Pleistocene. Scientists estimate the incoming meteoroid may have been several meters across before it catastrophically fragmented in Earth’s atmosphere with an energy release comparable to several kilotons of TNT. Because of its age, enormous distribution, and unusually well-preserved material, Gold Basin has become one of the most heavily studied ancient strewn fields in the world. Interestingly enough, gold miners often found fragments of this meteorite while prospecting, but ignored them because they didn't know what they were!

This 14.38 gram individual stone has unique coloring, with one lighter side and one darker side with a unique shape. This is an opportunity to obtain a historic meteorite whose rarity is only increasing over time. 

--Ordinary Chondrite--

Ordinary chondrites make up about 85% of all known falls. They are stony meteorites composed primarily of silicate minerals like olivine and pyroxene, with small amounts of nickel-iron metal and chondrules—tiny, spherical grains that formed in the early solar system. Their composition provides valuable insights into the building blocks of planets and the history of our solar system.