Lunar Meteorite: Ghardaïa 001 & Ghardaïa 002

assumed paired stones

A 143-g stone of Ghardaïa 001. Photo credit: Catawiki
A small slice of of Ghardaïa 002 for sale on the internet. Photo credit: ?

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 110

Ghardaïa 001

Ghardaia, Algeria
Purchased: 2020 November
Mass: 760 g (many pieces)

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: The meteorite was found south of El Guerrara, Algeria and subsequently purchased by the main mass holders.

Physical characteristics: Many grayish fragments some of which almost completely covered by fusion crust.

Petrography: (Ansgar Greshake, MNB) Fragmental breccia composed of mineral fragments, basaltic, gabbroic, and impact melt clasts set in a fine-grained partly shock-melted groundmass often showing flow textures . Most abundant minerals are calcic plagioclase, olivine, and exsolved pyroxene. Minor phases include ilmenite, apatite, and FeS. Cracks are often filled with secondary calcite.

Geochemistry:  low-Ca pyroxene: Fs21.3±0.5Wo4.6±0.9 (Fs20.4-21.8Wo3.0-6.1, FeO/MnO=48±4, n=9); Ca-pyroxene: Fs14.2±2.5Wo36.1±5.7 (Fs11.5-17.9Wo38.3-42.2, FeO/MnO=43±4, n=7); olivine: Fa28.4±0.6 (Fa27.5-29.1, FeO/MnO=84±7, n=11); calcic plagioclase: An96.8±0.5 (An96.3-97.7, n=9)

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

Specimens: Type specimen (31.3 g) at MNB. Main mass with Chnaoui Larbi and Lucian Cojocaru.

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 110

Ghardaïa 002

Ghardaia, Algeria
Find: 2020
Mass: 90 g (1 piece)

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

Petrography: (J. Gattacceca, CEREGE) Mineral clasts (to 200 µm) set in a feldspathic mesostasis with abundant 50 µm vesicles. Main minerals are olivine and pyroxene. Other minerals include ilmenite, kamacite.

Geochemistry: Olivine Fa25.8±2.1, FeO/MnO = 108.4±19.3 (n=10). Pyroxenes: low-Ca pyroxene Fs22.1±0.9Wo3.8±0.6 (n=5), Ca-pyroxene Fs17.1Wo31.9 (n=1), FeO/MnO = 55.2±7.8 (n=5). Feldspathic mesostasis An96.4±0.6Ab3.4±0.5Or0.3±0.1 (n=6).

Classification: Achondrite (lunar, feldspathic breccia)

Specimens: Type specimen at CEREGE. Main mass with Isabelle Pothier.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Ghardaïa 001 or 002. Although the descriptions differ, the reported find locations are 1.85 km apart, so I assume that the stones are paired..

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Ghardaïa 001 | 002