Lunar Meteorite: Hassi el Biod 004 & 005

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Hassi el Biod 004 (HeB 004)

Tamanghasset, Algeria
Purchased: 2022 November
Mass: 124.3 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic  breccia)

History: Found in Algeria and purchased by Ziyao Wang in November 2022 from a dealer in Ouargla, Algeria.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of a variety of mineral clasts (anorthite, olivine, pigeonite, augite) plus some troctolitic lithic clasts set in a fine grained matrix containing taenite, troilite and Ti-chromite.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_29.8-31.9, FeO/MnO = 92-101, N = 4), pigeonite (Fs_28.3-29.3Wo_5.4-9.9, FeO/MnO = 48-64, N = 4), augite (Fs_14.2Wo_37.8; Fs_7.2Wo_43.6; FeO/MnO = 37-48, N = 2), anorthite (An_96.2-97.2Or_0.1, N = 3), olivine in troctolitic clast (Fa_18.8, FeO/MnO = 104).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: 20.9 g including a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with WangZ.

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113

Hassi el Biod 005 (HeB 005)

Tamanghasset, Algeria
Purchased: 2023 December
Mass: 1251 g (many pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic  breccia)

History: Found with numerous other similar fragments in Algeria and subsequently purchased by Lin Hao Wei in December 2023 from a dealer in Ouargla, Algeria.

Physical Characteristics: The broken fragments (total 1351 g) are dark gray with small white feldspar grains visible.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS, and J. Boesenberg, BrownU) Breccia composed of small angular mineral clasts and some fine grained melt rock clasts within a very fine grained feldspathic matrix. Constituent minerals are calcic plagioclase, unexsolved pigeonite, ferropigeonite, exsolved pigeonite, olivine, subcalcic augite, subcalcic ferroaugite, augite, silica polymorph, ilmenite, troilite, rare zircon, rare labradorite and rare kamacite.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_28.9-32.6, FeO/MnO = 83-95, N = 3), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs_19.4-45.2Wo_3.7-4.9, FeO/MnO = 45-70, N = 5), pigeonite (Fs_21.6-41.1Wo_6.2-20.0, FeO/MnO = 49-80, N = 9), ferropigeonite (Fs_69.7-80.5Wo_8.8-18.9, FeO/MnO = 69-70, N =2), subcalcic augite (Fs_31.3-36.4Wo_20.3-24.2, FeO/MnO = 65-79, N = 7), subcalcic ferroaugite (Fs_67.9Wo_26.8, FeO/MnO = 71), augite (Fs_13.1-38.2Wo_35.7-43.1, FeO/MnO = 44-88, N = 5), labradorite (An_56.7Or_1.6), calcic plagioclase (An_89.6-97.5Or_0.7-0.1, N = 8).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia). This material is part of the same find as Hassi el Biod 004.

Specimens: 39.6 g including two polished mounts at UWB; remainder with Lin Hao Wei.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Hassi el Biod 004 & 005.

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Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Hassi el Biod 004 | 005