Lunar Meteorite: Laâyoune 002

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Laâyoune 002 

Saguia el Hamra, Western Sahara
Find: 2022 January
Mass: 5148 g (2 pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Found near Laayoune, Morocco, in January 2022 and purchased from the finder by Aziz Habibi.

Physical characteristics: Both stones (3680 g, 1468 g) lack fusion crust and have a similar overall gray color with some whitish clasts visible.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, orthopyroxene, pigeonite and augite plus accessory ilmenite, chromite (with variable Ti content) and minor secondary barite.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_46.3-46.7, FeO/MnO = 94-98, N = 4), orthopyroxene (Fs_33.5Wo_3.8, FeO/MnO = 57), pigeonite (Fs_36.9-45.1Wo_6.5-8.4, FeO/MnO = 57-64, N = 3), augite (Fs_19.1-20.9Wo_39.1-39.7, FeO/MnO = 53-54, N = 2), anorthite (An_96.1-97.7Or_0.3-0.1, N = 3).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: 20.7 g in the form of a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with Mr. A. Habibi.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Laâyoune 002.

More Information

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Laâyoune 002