Adrar 013 & 014
Encyclopedia of meteorites: Adrar 013
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113 Adrar 013Adrar, Algeria Lunar meteorite (melt breccia) 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 acicular 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: (A. Greshake, MNB) olivine: Fa24.0±0.01 (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. |
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113 Adrar 014Adrar, Algeria Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: The samples were found in desert N of Timokten, Algeria, in 2023. Shun-Chung Yang purchased the samples from Ali Mftah in 2023. Physical Characteristics: Stone has a light greenish-gray exterior and is irregular shaped. Interior has a light greenish-gray brecciated texture. Petrography: Description and classification (A. Love, App) Sample shows a melt breccia texture composed of sparsely-distributed up to 2.5 mm-sized angular to subrounded lithic and mineral clasts set within a melt matrix host with subophitic texture composed of weakly zoned olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase with an average grain size of 97 µm, n=14. Lithic clasts are anorthosites and troctolites. Mineral clasts dominated by plagioclase. Sample is transected by schlieren-textured devitrified glassy melt veins. Additional minerals are: rare ilmenite, pentlandite, chromite, spinel, troilite and barite. Geochemistry: (A. Love, App) Clasts: olivine (Fa22.8±6.8, Fe/Mn=78.6±4.2, n=7); low Ca-pyroxene (Fs16.4Wo2.4, Fe/Mn=49.0, n=1). host: olivine (Fa22.8±2.1, Fe/Mn=85.7±5.0, n=11); pigeonite (Fs22.6±3.0Wo13.1±2.9, Fe/Mn= 52.8±1.8, n=6); high Ca-pyroxene (Fs9.9±4.1Wo38.3±8.9, Fe/Mn=36.0±6.5 n=4); plagioclase (An97.7±0.2Or0.0, n=10). Classification: Lunar achondrite (feldspathic melt breccia A-S3 W3). Based on textures, and mineral chemistry, sample is a feldspathic melt breccia. Specimens: Shun-Chung Yang (S-R meteorites) holds the main mass. A polished thin section and a broken individual weighing 22.66 g are on deposit at App. |
Randy Says… I have not studied either of these meteorites. Both NWA NWA 16535 and NWA 16888 are speculated to be paired with Adrar 013. |