This 101.68g HaH 346 meteorite has several unique meteoritic features at an accessible size. The majority of the stone is covered in fusion crust, formed as it burned while descending through our atmosphere. An exposed face shows the contrast and thickness of the fusion crust while revealing the stone's interior matrix. One face of the fusion crust reveals remarkable contraction cracks, formed by the rapid heating and cooling of the stone while the fusion crust was not fully set. 

Hammadah al Hamra 346 (often referred to as Ghadamis or HaH) is a classic ordinary chondrite recovered from the vast deserts of Libya, where the arid environment helped preserve meteorites for thousands of years. Classified as an L6 chondrite, it represents material from an ancient asteroid that experienced significant thermal metamorphism, altering its original components while still preserving a record of the early solar system. Formed more than 4.5 billion years ago, Hammadah al Hamra 346 contains iron-nickel metal and silicate minerals that predate the Earth itself. 

Meteoritical Bulletin Entry for Hammadah al Hamra 346: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.cfm?code=73745

--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.

--Fusion Crust--