Lunar Meteorite: Al ’Aweinat

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Al ’Aweinat

Ash Shamaliyah, Sudan
Found: 2021
Mass: 120 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia)

History: Found in the desert region near the Libya-Sudan border by a nomad in 2021. Subsequently sold to a meteorite dealer on January 10, 2022, who later sold it to Jared Collins on March 10, 2023.

Physical Characteristics: Single stone with minimally weathered dark fusion crust. Yellow-colored clasts are visible within a dark-colored matrix.

Petrography: (D. Sheikh, Cascadia) Sample is a breccia comprised primarily of an abundance of mm-sized basaltic clasts/clast fragments (composed mainly of radiating/tabular laths of plagioclase and zoned ferropigeonite/ferroaugite with accessory silica, ilmenite, and ulvospinel; average grain size ~0.1 mm) set within a dark, fine-grained matrix (containing some melt regions). Minor clast types identified in the host rock include anorthosites, gabbros, and noritic anorthosites, and accessory phases found within the host rock include Fe-Ni metal and troilite.

Geochemistry: Host Rock: [Olivine (Fa_41.3±23.7, range Fa_22.6-84.6, FeO/MnO=86±10, n=7), Low-Ca Pyroxene (Fs_28.2±5.8Wo_4.4±0.1, range Fs_24.1-32.2Wo_4.3-4.5, FeO/MnO=61±1, n=2), Pigeonite (Fs_38.0±11.3Wo_17.0±5.4, range Fs_26.9-53.1Wo_9.7-23.1, FeO/MnO=55±9, n=5), Calcic Plagioclase (An_93.4±3.5Or_0.5±0.3, range An_85.6-96.7Or_0.1-1.1, n=10)]; Basalt Clasts: [ Pigeonite (Fs_49.5±22.7Wo_20.4±3.6, range Fs_26.1-80.3Wo_13.3-24.6, FeO/MnO=59±13, n=10), High-Ca Pyroxene (Fs_32.4±21.8Wo_31.6±4.0, range Fs_19.9-65.0Wo_26.7-35.0, FeO/MnO=54±9, n=4), Calcic Plagioclase (An_90.9±1.5Or_0.8±0.3, range An_89.1-94.1Or_0.4-1.5, n=11)].

Classification: Lunar (basaltic breccia). Based on pyroxene Mg# vs Ti# plot, basalt clasts compositionally resemble low-Ti mare basalts.

Specimens: 20.3 g at Cascadia, main mass with Jared Collins.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Al ‘Aweinat. Given the find location, it is unlikely to be terrestrially paired with any other known lunar meteorite.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database