Lunar Meteorite: Jiddat al Harasis 348

Two sides of an endcut of Jiddat al Harasis 348. Photo credit: Randy Korotev
from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 95

Jiddat al Harasis 348 (JaH 348)

Oman
Find: 2003 March 6
Mass: 18.4 g (1 piece)

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic fragmental breccia)

History and physical characteristics: A small (18.4 g), complete stone with no remaining fusion crust was recovered from the Jiddat al Harasis region of Oman on March 6, 2006, by Robert Ward.

Petrography: (J. Wittke and T. Bunch, NAU): Clast-rich, fragmental breccia with sparse vesicles (<0.3 mm) that is dominated by many varieties of quench-textured impact-melt breccias and plagioclase fragments. Minor amounts of anorthositic olivine gabbros, troctolites, and olivine/pyroxene fragments are also present.

Mineral Composition: Anorthositic gabbro olivine (Fa28.4–32.2, FeO/MnO = 89 to 98; Ca-rich pyroxenes, Fs10.1–25.7Wo40.6–13.0; plagioclase, An95.2–97.7), troctolite olivine (Fa17–24.3, FeO/ MnO = 96 – 103), plagioclase, An96.

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic fragmental breccia).

Specimens: A total of 3.7 g is on deposit at NAU. Robert Ward holds the main mass.

Randy Says…

JaH 348 is similar in composition and appearance to paired stones Dhofar 1436/1443 collected 143 km away. The two meteorites might be launch paired. Or, maybe not. It is a feldspathic lunar meteorite of anorthositic norite composition.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Jiddat al Harasis 838

Map

Schematic Map of  Find Locations of  Lunar Meteorite from Oman

References

Korotev R. L. (2011) Lunar meteorites from Antarctica and Oman. 74th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, abstract no. 5073.

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

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

All Korotev data on Omani lunar meteorites.

Korotev R. L., Irving A. J., and Bunch T. E. (2012) Keeping Up With the Lunar Meteorites – 201243rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1152.