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Visible and near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the asteroid 1459 Magnya indicate that it has a basaltic surface. Magnya is at 3. 15 astronomical units (AU) from the sun and has no known dynamical link to any family, to any nearby large asteroid, or to asteroid 4 Vesta at 2.36 AU, which is the only other known large basaltic asteroid. We show that the region of the belt around Magnya is densely filled by mean-motion resonances, generating slow orbital diffusion processes and providing a potential mechanism for removing other basaltic fragments that may have been created on the same parent body as Magnya. Magnya may represent a rare surviving fragment from a larger, differentiated planetesimal that was disrupted long ago.

Abstract. We present spectroscopic observations of 36 asteroids, members of the Themis family. These observations were carried on at the European Southern Observatory in the wavelength range 4900 − 9200Å. Most of the objects present a spectra similar to C-type asteroids and some of them present indicative of aqueous alteration. We discuss the implications of these results on the formation and evolution of this family.

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