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Lunar

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Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (melt breccia)

Country

Year found

2023

Mass

3.15 kg

[Museum Collection]

(1) 2.47g

History: The meteorite was purchased from a meteorite dealer in Timokten, Algeria. Physical characteristics: Several grayish-greenish fragments including a large 3 kg single stone. Petrography: Melt breccia composed of grayish-greenish clasts set in abundant anorthite-rich melt rock matrix displaying pronounced flow and quench textures with small ancicular crystals nucleating on larger entrained mineral grains. Major phases are pigeonite, often zoned augite and less abundant olivine. Minor phases include ilmenite, chromite, and troilite. Geochemistry: olivine: Fa24.0±0.1??(Fa23.9-24.2, FeO/MnO=84±8, n=7); pigeonite: Fs25.0±1.5Wo10.0±0.5??(Fs21.9-27.1Wo9.1-10.6, FeO/MnO=47±3, n=7); zoned Ca-pyroxene: Fs23.4±3.2Wo29.3±6.2??(Fs20.4-26.4Wo16.1-35.2, FeO/MnO=45±5, n=7); calcic plagioclase: An95.8±0.8??(An94.8-97.7, n=7) Classification: Melt breccia (anorthositic norite/gabbro) based on Stoeffler et al. (1980). Specimens: Marcin Cimala holds 750 g, Craig Zlimen holds 600 g, Mark Lyon holds a 600 g and a 980 g mass, and Paul Durzan holds 400 g.

Adrar 013
DaG262

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

1997

Mass

513 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.016g

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (anorth). Search for specimens in the Smithsonian Institution collection (U.S.): Search for this meteorite in the Natural History Museum collection (U.K.): Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 81, MAPS 32, A159-A166 (1997)

DaG400

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

1998

Mass

1425 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 8.37g

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (anorth). Search for this meteorite in the Natural History Museum collection (U.K.): Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 82, MAPS 33, A221-A240 (1998)

Dhofar461

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2001

Mass

33.7 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.95g

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (anorth). Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 89, MAPS 40, A201-A263 (2005)

Dhofar490

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2001

Mass

34.1 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) tiny crumbs

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (anorth). Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 87, MAPS 38, A189-A248 (2003)

Name

*click on the Name for more information

Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2003

Mass

245 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.006g

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (anorth). Search for this meteorite in the Natural History Museum collection (U.K.): Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 88, MAPS 39, A215-A272 (2004)

Dhofar1085

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2003

Mass

197 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.172g

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (anorth). Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 88, MAPS 39, A215-A272 (2004)

Dhofar1180

Name

*click on the Name for more information

Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar

Country

Year found

2005

Mass

115.2 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.85g

This is 1 of 102 approved meteorites classified as Lunar. Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 91, MAPS 42, 413-466 (2007)

Gadamis 003

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2021

Mass

1270 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 46.66g   (2) 16.85g

History: This meteorite was reportedly found in Libya at the same location as Gadamis 002 in 2021, purchased by Abdelhadi Aithiba in 2021. Physical characteristics: Two identically appearing stones (670 and 600 g) found together at the Gadamis 002 site. The stones have a light green sand-blasted exterior, patches of smoothed dark fusion crust, as well as some light tan desert weathering. Polished sawcut surfaces reveal a brecciated, very fine-grained light gray interior with a few scattered white grains. Petrography: (A. Ross and C. Agee, UNM) Microprobe analysis reveals a significantly brecciated, cataclastic anorthitic plagioclase host making up 98-99% of this meteorite. Poikilitically enclosed in the plagioclase are sparse, very small olivine and pyroxene blebs (most in the range 5-10 μm). Larger pyroxene grains are scarce with two larger grains in size range of 300 μm observed in the microprobe mount. Together, olivine and pyroxene make up a total of ~1-2% of this meteorite. Geochemistry: (A. Ross, UNM) Plagioclase An96.1±0.4Ab3.8±0.4Or0.2±0.1, n=6; olivine Fa39.1±0.8, Fe/Mn=105±5, n=6; pigeonite Fs32.9±4.9Wo6.1±2.5, Fe/Mn=59±4, n=5. Classification: Lunar ferroan anorthosite, cataclastic. Olivine, pigeonite and plagioclase compositional values plot within the FAN suite field (after Warren, 1993). The very high anorthite content (98-99%) and cataclastic texture is similar to Apollo 16 cataclastic FANs. Paired with Gadamis 002. Specimens: 24.32 g on deposit at UNM, Mark Lyon and Craig Zlimen hold the main masses.

Gadamis004

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2022

Mass

12.66 kg

[Museum Collection]

(1) 5.84g

History: This meteorite was found in Libya at the same location as Gadamis 002 and 003, purchased by Mark Lyon in 2022. Physical characteristics: Single stone with patches of dark fusion crust and smooth, light green-colored patches. One side is more irregular with a weathered surface that was fractured at some time in the past. Polished sawcut surfaces reveal cm-size clasts of anorthosite bounded by darker, fine-grained, cataclastic zones. Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Microprobe analysis reveals a significantly brecciated, cataclastic anorthitic plagioclase host making up 98-99% of this meteorite. Poikiolitically enclosed in the plagioclase are sparse, very small olivine and pyroxene blebs (most in the range 5-10 μm). Larger pyroxene grains are scarce with two larger grains in size range of 300 μm observed in the microprobe mount. Together, olivine and pyroxene make up a total of ~1-2% of this meteorite. Geochemistry: (C. Agee, UNM) Plagioclase An96.0±0.1Ab3.8±0.1Or0.2±0.1, n=4; olivine Fa38.9±1.0, Fe/Mn=105±3, n=4; pigeonite Fs34.0±4.8Wo5.4±2.3, Fe/Mn=60±3, n=4; augite Fs5.7Wo46.1, Fe/Mn=32. Classification: Lunar ferroan anorthosite, cataclastic. Olivine, pigeonite and plagioclase compositional values plot within the FAN suite field (after Warren, 1993). The very high anorthite content (98-99%) and cataclastic texture is similar to Apollo 16 cataclastic FANs. Paired with Gadamis 002 and Gadamis 003. Specimens: 21 g on deposit at UNM, Mark Lyon holds the main mass.

Gadamis 005

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2022

Mass

10 kg

[Museum Collection]

(1) 320g(Pair)   (2)220g(Pair)

History: This meteorite was found in Libya at the same location as Gadamis 002, 003 and 004, purchased by Mark Lyon in 2022. Physical characteristics: Single stone with patches of dark fusion crust and smooth, light green-colored patches. Polished sawcut surfaces reveal cm-size clasts of anorthosite bounded by darker, fine-grained, cataclastic zones. Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Microprobe analysis reveals a significantly brecciated, cataclastic anorthitic plagioclase host making up 98-99% of this meteorite. Poikiolitically enclosed in the plagioclase are sparse, very small olivine and pyroxene blebs (most in the range 5-10 μm). Larger pyroxene grains are scarce with two larger grains in size range of 300 μm observed in the microprobe mount. Together, olivine and pyroxene make up a total of ~1-2% of this meteorite. Geochemistry: (A. Ross, UNM) Plagioclase An96.6±0.7Ab3.1±0.7Or0.2±0.1, n=6; olivine Fa30.7±1.7, Fe/Mn=109±10, n=5; pigeonite Fs27.8±5.2Wo7.2±8.0, Fe/Mn=53±3, n=3; augite Fs15.3±4.7Wo39.4±5.1, Fe/Mn=44±9, n=3. Classification: Lunar ferroan anorthosite, cataclastic. Olivine, pigeonite and plagioclase compositional values plot within the FAN suite field (after Warren, 1993). The very high anorthite content (98-99%) and cataclastic texture is similar to Apollo 16 cataclastic FANs. Paired with Gadamis 002, Gadamis 003, and Gadamis 004. Specimens: 20.5 g on deposit at UNM, Mark Lyon holds the main mass.

NEA001

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth)

Country

Year found

2002

Mass

262 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.05g 

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (anorth). Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 89, MAPS 40, A201-A263 (2005)

NWA482

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (anorth) 

Country

Year found

2000

Mass

1015 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.06g 

History: Found near Gawa, Mali, in February 2009 and purchased from a dealer by Adam Aaronson. Physical characteristics: A single, buff-colored, rounded stone (170 g) lacking fusion crust (Fig. 2). Small white clasts are visible in a pale, finer grained matrix. Petrography (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS; T. Bunch, NAU): Recrystallized breccia composed mainly of plagioclase (up to 100 μm) with fine-grained (

NWA2977

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar (gabbro)

Country

Year found

2005

Mass

233 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.27g  

History: A single minimally weathered fusion-encrusted stone of 233 g was purchased from a Moroccan dealer in Tagounite, Morocco, by MFarmer in November 2005. Petrography and Geochemistry: (J. Wittke and T. Bunch, NAU; A. Irving, UWS) The specimen consists of a single yellow-green, relatively coarse-grained rock traversed by thin, black glass-rich veins. It is an olivine-rich, two-pyroxene cumulate gabbro composed of olivine (Fa31.7; FeO/ MnO = 96; 52 vol%), (Fs26.6Wo6.7; 23 vol%), augite (Fs16.2Wo29; 9 vol%), and plagioclase (An56; 14 vol%) with minor amounts of Ba-K feldspar, chromite, ilmenite, and merrillite. Larger pigeonite grains commonly enclose equant olivine grains, which contain abundant melt inclusions (0.025–0.125 mm). Plagioclase is partially converted to maskelynite, and pyroxenes and olivine exhibit shock lamellae and undulatory extinction. Note: This specimen is identical in texture and mineral composition to the gabbro clasts in NWA 773 and NWA 2700 and thus appears to be paired with those breccia specimens. Classification: Achondrite (lunar, gabbro); minimal weathering. Specimens: A 20.1 g type specimen and one polished thin section are on deposit at NAU. A 0.5 g specimen is on deposit at WUSL. An anonymous owner holds the main mass.

NWA3163

Name

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Structure Class

achondrites

Chemical Class

Lunar

Country

Year found

2001

Mass

1634 g

[Museum Collection]

(1) 0.66g   (2) 0.09g