Lunar Meteorite: Choum 001

A slice of Choum 001. Photo credit: Jerome Gattacceca

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Choum 001

Adrar, Mauritania
Purchased: 2021 March 28
Mass: 39,000 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (anorth)

History: This stone was found by Mohamed Biba Abdalahi on March 28, 2021, near Choum, Adrar, Mauritania. In September 2021, the main mass was exported by Rock & Co Society to its owner, Pascal Maugein, member of the French Astronomical Society, who provided the type specimen for classification.

Physical characteristics: A single gray, irregular stone. Cut surface show a gray interior with small vesicles and darker clasts up to cm.

Petrography: (J. Gattacceca, CEREGE) Igneous rock composed primarily of calcic plagioclase (about 90 vol%) and olivine. The texture, with the feldspathic groundmass containing skeletal olivine to 100 µm, and abundant vesicles with typical size 50 µm and up to 200 µm, indicate that the meteorite is a melt rock. The darker clasts observable on the cut surface are also melt rock. Rare troilite to 10 µm. Metal, chromite and ilmenite were not observed.

Geochemistry: Plagioclase An96.5±0.3Ab3.3±0.3Or0.1±0.0 (n=5). Olivine Fa23.0±3.2, range Fa19.8-27.6, FeO/MnO = 89.0±15.6. Plagioclase An0.0±0.0Ab95.0±0.2Or5.0±0.2 (n=4).

Classification: Lunar ferroan anorthosite, melt breccia. Plagioclase content, and olivine and plagioclase composition place this meteorite in the ferroan anorthositic suite (FAS) defined by Warren (1993).

Specimens: Type specimen (22 g) at CEREGE. Main mass with Pascal Maugein.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Choum 001. It’s a big one.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Choum 001