MIL 03346 was recovered from blue ice on December 15th 2003 in the Miller Range, Antarctica. Its weight is 715 grams and about 60% of its surface consists of wrinkled fusion crust. It is a nakhlite that appears to be from the same lava flow as the other nakhlites, but it has had a faster cooling rate than the others. MIL 03346 has been dated by three different isotopic techniques: Ar/Ar 1.44 ± 0.02 b.y.; Rb/Sr 1.29 ± 0.12 b.y.; Nd/Sm 1.36 ± 0.03 b.y.
The meteorite mainly consists of pyroxene (augite) with rare olivine set in a fine-grained interstitial glassy mesostasis. Many of the crystals are well-formed (euhedral) indicating crystallization prior to eruption. Melt inclusions are found in the augite and olivine, and have been shown to contain jarosite, saponite and Cl-rich amphibole. Olivine crystals have Fe-rich rims. Devitrification of the glass has produced dendritic intergrowths of olivine (fayalite), Ti-magnetite, ferro-hedenbergite, cristobalite, apatite and feldspar glass.
Alteration of MIL 03346 has produced iddingsite-smectite within fractured olivine and gypsum has been noted in cracks, veins and voids throughout the meteorite.
This description draws on the work of NASA scientist Charles Meyer - compiler of The Mars Meteorite Compendium. A pdf document describing MIL 03346 is available.