Taza (or officially known as NWA 859) was found in Morocco in 2000. It is an Iron meteorite classified as an Ungrouped Plessitic Octahedrite with a Total Known Weight of around 130kg. Taza has a relatively high Nickel content at 16.3% and displays an interesting pattern when cut and etched. There are many pieces of this find which range from less than a gram to the Main Mass of ~75kg. Many Taza specimens also show signs of orientation and /or flight markings.

This specimen appears to be an oriented or heavily flight marked individual which has undergone severe shear/shock forces. The first and most obvious feature of this piece is the highly unusual ridge along one side. There are flow lines still in the crust along the sides of the ridge and it is obvious that the metal was flowing back in that direction. These are evident in the first three images.

The ends of this specimen have also been torn apart indicating an explosive force while on atmospheric decent. This is quite rare in Taza as most pieces seem to be well rounded individuals showing extensive atmospheric forming, probably from very high up. This may explain the above-average rate of oriented pieces. If the ridge was facing downwards and slightly in a vertical position on decent, then it is possible that the extreme forces ripped the leading ridge edge off as it began to roll over the back. This specimen is part of the Meteorites Australia Collection (MA.05.0071).