Lunar Meteorite: Dhofar 1527

...and an unnamed pair

**Two views of Dhofar 1527. Photo credit: Luc Labenne**

**Unnamed 96. Photo credit: anonymous finder**

**Two sides of a slice of Dhofar 1527. Note the large grains of metal. Photo credit: Randy Korotev**

**Interior of unnamed 96. Photo credits: anonymous finder (left) and Randy Korotev (right)**

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 100

Dhofar 1527

Zufar, Oman
Found: 2009 March
Mass: 42.6 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: A complete stone recovered by Jim Labenne in March, 2009.

Petrography: (H. Haack, NHMD) Metal-rich clast-laden vitric breccia consisting of glass and fine-grained mineral debris (mostly pyroxenes, olivine, anorthite and metal), melt breccia fragments and polycrystalline igneous clasts. Clast sizes to 3 mm. Mineral clasts include anorthitic plagioclase, low-Ca pyroxene, olivine, kamacitic and troilite. Lithic clasts include rare basalts (composed of plagioclase and pyroxene) and troctolite (composed of plagioclase and olivine). Metal grains are partially oxidized. Some olivine grains are partially to totally altered by weathering. Veinlets filled with alteration products are abundant.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_20-37), plagioclase (An_93-98), pigeonite (Fs_21-29Wo_8-11), and augite (Fs_6-8 Wo_32-36). Bulk composition: (R. Korotev, WUSL): 25% Al₂O₃, 8.0% FeO, 8.2% MgO, 1200 ppm Ni, 1.1 ppm Sm, 89 ppb Ir, 0.5 ppm Th.

Classification: Achondrite (lunar, feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: A total of 8.56 g is deposited at NHMD.

Randy Says…

Dhofar 1527 (my sample, at least) is loaded with iron-nickel metal and, consequently, has the highest concentrations of siderophile elements of any lunar meteorite that I have studied (1200 ppm Ni and 73 ppb Ir). My sample of the presumed pair (based on lithophile element concentrations) does not contain as much metal (230 ppm Ni and 11 ppb Ir). The pair does not have a name because it has not been classified (no type specimen).

Dhofar 1527 may be a feldspathic pair of the Dhofar 925 clan found 10 km away. There are compositional similarities but also some differences. It may also be paired with Dhofar 2122 found 6.6 km away.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Dhofar 1527

Map

Schematic Map of Find Locations of Lunar Meteorite from Oman

References

Korotev R. L. (2012) Lunar meteorites from Oman. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 47, 1365-1402.

Korotev R. L. (2013) Siderophile elements in brecciated lunar meteorites. 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1028.

Korotev R. L. (2017) Update (2012–2017) on lunar meteorites from Oman. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 52, 1251-1256.

All Korotev data on Omani lunar meteorites.

Korotev R. L. and Irving A. J. (2013) Keeping up with the lunar meteorites – 2013. 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1216.

Lunar Meteorites

List – ABC123 Order

List – Al₂O₃ Order