Northwest Africa (NWA) 7397 Martian (shergottite) meteorite fragment found near Smara, Morocco, in 2012, exhibiting a black fusion crust. The fragment weighs 3.3 grams and measures approximately 18 mm x 12 mm x 11 mm. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Geoff Notkin of Aerolite Meteorites Inc. and the TV show Meteorite Men, as well as a specimen identification card. NWA 7397 was unequivocally identified as a piece of the 'red planet' by A. Irving and S. Kuehner at the University of Washington, Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, Seattle. Pieces of the Mars are extremely rare and highly desirable—of approximately 61,000 meteorites that have been found on Earth, less than 200 have been identified as shergottite, or Martian. The class takes its name from the Shergotty meteorite that fell in India in 1865.
