Lunar
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar (anorth)
Country
Year found
1998
Mass
1425 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 8.37g
A 1.425 kg stone was found in Dar al Gani in the Libyan Sahara. Classification and description (J. Zipfel, MPI): the meteorite is partly covered with a brownish fusion crust; fresh surfaces are gray to dark gray; matrix is well consolidated; clasts include subophitic and fine-grained to microporphyritic impact-melt breccias, granulitic fragments, intergranularly recrystallized anorthosites, and mineral fragments; chemical and O isotope composition is characteristic of lunar highland meteorites (Zipfel et al., 1998b); abundances and composition of noble gases do not suggest a pairing with DaG 262 (Scherer et al., 1998b). For further details, see Zipfel et al. (1998b). Type specimen and two polished sections are with the MPI; main mass with finder.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
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.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
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.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar
Country
Year found
2009
Mass
170 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 2.570g (2) 2.127g (3) 1.888g
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 (
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar (gabbro)
Country
Year found
2011
Mass
1649 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 110g
History: Reported to be found near the border between Mali and Algeria in June 2011, and purchased from the finder by Adam Aaronson in August 2011. Physical characteristics: A single yellowish-green stone (1649 g, broken into 8 pieces) with partial fusion crust. Thin black shock veins are visible in the interior. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Relatively coarse grained with a cumulate igneous texture. Aggregate dominated by olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, pigeonite, and subcalcic augite, with interstitial very calcic plagioclase. Accessory minerals are ilmenite, Ti-chromite, armalcolite, troilite, baddeleyite, taenite and merrillite with rare zirconolite and K-feldspar. Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa31.9-32.7, Fe/Mn=85-97), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs27.1-28.1Wo4.8-4.5, Fe/Mn=47-55), pigeonite (Fs25.6±0.0Wo9.2-11.1, Fe/Mn=47-52), subcalcic augite (Fs13.9Wo36.9, Fe/Mn=41), plagioclase (An87.9-93.0Or1.1-0.9). Classification: Achondrite (lunar, gabbro). This specimen is texturally and mineralogically identical to NWA 2977 and the olivine gabbro clasts in NWA 773, NWA 2700, NWA 2727 and NWA 3333, and evidently is paired with those stones. Specimens: A total of 20.1 g of sample and one polished thin section are on deposit at UWS. The main mass is held by Aaronson.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar
Country
Year found
2017
Mass
912 g
[Museum Collection]
(1) 1.96g (2) 3.882g (3) 3.625g (4) 2.112g
History: The meteorite was bought in 2017 from a meteorite dealer in Erfoud, Morocco. Physical characteristics: Many small grayish individuals lacking any fusion crust. White to beige clasts in greyish matrix are visible at the surface. Petrography: The meteorite is a breccia composed of angular to subrounded whitish clasts up to 1 cm in size set into a greyish vitreous groundmass. Mineral fragments are also present in the matrix. Dominant mineral phases are low-Ca pyroxene, Ca- pyroxene, olivine and calcic plagioclase. Minor phases include chromite, ilmenite, fayalite, pyrrhotite, FeNi metal, and barite. Contains some melt regions displaying quenching textures of dendritic pyroxene and plagioclase. Geochemistry: olivine: Fa30.1±10.4 (Fa18.4-52, n=16, FeO/MnO=79-112); low-Ca pyroxene: Fs33.3±2,8Wo2.5±1.0 (Fs30.4-36.4Wo1.4-3.8, n=10, FeO/MnO=55-64); Ca-pyroxene: Fs16.1±4.0Wo40.0±4.2 (Fs8.9-23.2Wo31.3-45.1, n=14, FeO/MnO=36-64); calcic plagioclase: An96.4±0.8 (An95.4-98.0, n=16) Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia)
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar (melt breccia)
Country
Year found
2020
Mass
16.97 kg
[Museum Collection]
(1) 4.14g
History: Numerous stones (purportedly found at the same unspecified site in Algeria which produced NWA 13676) were purchased by Darryl Pitt in December 2020 from a dealer in Zagora, Morocco. Physical characteristics: All of the stones (total weight 16974 g) are dark gray and relatively fine grained with an exterior shiny patina. Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, pigeonite and augite plus mafic lithic clasts in a very fine grained matrix containing partially altered kamacite, both high-Ti and low-Ti chromite, and minor secondary barite and celestite. These specimens are richer in mafic components by comparison with typical feldspathic lunar breccias. Mafic lithic clasts include microgabbro, subophitic olivine-bearing mare basalt and quench-textured basalt lithologies. The matrix exhibits some fluidal alignment of elongate mineral clasts and is sparsely microvesicular. Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa26.2-41.1, FeO/MnO = 81-92, N = 5), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs27.8Wo4.4, FeO/MnO = 60), pigeonite (Fs23.9-35.9Wo13.5-18.6, FeO/MnO = 43-52, N = 3), subcalcic augite (Fs43.6Wo32.4, FeO/MnO = 51), augite (Fs11.0Wo38.4, FeO/MnO = 41), anorthite (An93.8-96.6Or0.4-0.1, N = 3). Classification: Lunar (melt breccia). This material has textural, petrologic and mineral chemical features consistent with being paired to the stone classified as NWA 13676, and was procured from the same Algerian source. Specimens: 20.85 g in the form of a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with DPitt.
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar (melt breccia)
Country
Year found
2020
Mass
2.6 kg
[Museum Collection]
(1) 3.48g (2) 2.59g (3) 4.19g
History: Purchased in 2021 by Matthew and Travis Stream from a meteorite dealer in Algeria. Physical characteristics: Specimen contains a dark-brown fusion crust. An interior slice reveals light and dark clasts within a darker matrix. Petrography: (D. Sheikh, FSU) Sample is an impact melt breccia composed of angular to sub-rounded mineral and lithic clasts (
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar
Country
Year found
2021
Mass
7.94 kg
[Museum Collection]
(1) 80g
History: Multiple complete individuals ranging in size from 1 - 800 g were found in the Western Sahara. Adam Aaronson purchased the samples in Temara in 2021 Physical characteristics: Exterior of the 20% of the samples is light orangish-gray in color and shows voids, some of which are circular in profile. The cut face shows the interior is darker grey and shows a brecciated texture. Other samples found on the surface are reported to have a shiny black wind-ablated exterior. Petrography: Description and classification (A. Love, App) Sample is a complex breccia composed of rounded to irregular-shaped, mm-sized lithic and anhedral mineral clasts surrounded by a melt matrix. Lithic clasts include: anorthosite, norite, troctolite, brecciated and shock melted clasts. Mineral clasts are dominantly anorthite with minor zoned olivine. Matrix areas within the thin section show some regions with flow-textured glass and fine vesicles. Additional minerals are:
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar (frag. breccia)
Country
Year found
2020
Mass
8 kg
[Museum Collection]
(1) 12.45g
History: Purchased January, 2020 by Mark Lyon from a northwest African dealer Physical characteristics: Three identical stones, cut surface reveals a fragmental breccia set in a dark-gray ground mass. Petrography: (A. Ross, UNM; D. Dickens, NMMS; C. Agee, UNM) This meteorite is a clast-rich polymict breccia with lithic fragments embedded in a fine-grained moderately vesiculated groundmass. Fragmental clasts sizes range from
Name
*click on the Name for more information
Structure Class
achondrites
Chemical Class
Lunar (melt breccia)
Country
Year found
2021
Mass
2.3 kg
[Museum Collection]
(1) 5.32g
History: Purchased from a Moroccan meteorite dealer in 2021. Physical characteristics: Single stone, dark green-brown, sandblasted exterior. Sawcut surfaces reveal this meteorite to be a breccia with fragments of fine-grained light colored host rock set darker vesicular melt-rock matrix. Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Electron microprobe analysis and reflected microscopy of a polished mount show this meteorite to be a polymict lunar melt breccia with an anorthositic troctolite host rock consisting of fine-grained olivine and lesser amounts of pyroxene poikilitically enclosed in plagioclase. The matrix consists of vesicular melt rock. and very fine-grained minerals and rock clasts. Trace amounts of chromite, ilmenite, troilite, and Fe-metal (low Ni) were detected. Geochemistry: (A. Ross, UNM) Olivine Fa25.4±5.3, Fe/Mn=102±18, n=10; pigeonite Fs16.4±3.6Wo4.5±1.5, Fe/Mn=54±5, n=7; subcalcic augite Fs16.1±5.1Wo30.1±7.7, Fe/Mn=50±2, n=3; plagioclase An96.0±1.7, n=6. Classification: Lunar (polymict anorthositic troctolite melt breccia), nomenclature based on Stoeffler et al. (1980). The Mg# of olivine and An-content of plagioclase of this meteorite are consistent with that of the Apollo Lunar Mg-suite (Warren, 1993). Specimens: 27.6 g on deposit at UNM, Craig Zlimen and Mark Lyon hold the main mass.