Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 17061

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113

Northwest Africa 17061 (NWA 17061)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2023
Mass: 2900 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (melt breccia)

Physical Characteristics: Dark grey stone with cm-scale clasts of anorthosite and basalt material.

Petrography: (J. T. Mitchell, UMin) Breccia with rounded clasts of anorthosite (<1 cm) and basalt (<1.3 cm), with associated mineral fragments including plagioclase, zoned olivine and exsolved/zoned pyroxene set in dark a glassy matrix. Accessory minerals include ilmenite and chromite. Flow-like structures are visible in the melt matrix, and mineral fragments held in the matrix vary in size from tens to hundreds of microns. No fusion crust is observed on the repository specimens.

Geochemistry: (J. T. Mitchell, UMin) Olivine Fa_25.1-55.5, mean Fa_40.2±12.4 (n=6), FeO/MnO 92.5. Low-Ca pyroxene Fs_10.8-44.8Wo_1.5-11.5, mean Fs_29.0±9.0Wo_6.5±3.3, FeO/MnO 53.1 (n=20). High-Ca pyroxene Fs_14.6-20.8Wo_33.5-42.4, mean Fs_18.6±2.7Wo_37.7±3.2, Fe/Mn 51.2 (n=8). Plagioclase An_92.6-96.8Or_00-0.2, mean An_94.6±0.9Or_<0.1 (n=42). Chromite Chm_62.1Usp_23.2, Cr#80.9 (n=1).

Classification: Lunar melt breccia.

Specimens: 29 g at UMin; main mass with Mitchell Wright.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 17061.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 17061