Lunar Meteorite: Lahmada 020, 046, 047, & 051
assumed paired stones
I found some of these photos on websites of meteorite dealers and collectors, so I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the identifications.
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from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 108 Lahmada 020Western Sahara Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Found at a location north of Jdiriya, Morocco, near Oued Skikima, in November 2018. Material was obtained by Ahmad Bouragaa and Aziz Habibi, and some was purchased by Mark Lyon and Mendy Ouzillou in November 2018. Physical characteristics: Multiple pieces (total 12.168 kg) of the same distinctive very fine grained, dark gray microvesicular material with sparse, irregularly distributed small milky clasts. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Sparse, very small mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, pigeonite and augite occur within a dominant extremely fine grained, microvesicular matrix containing accessory kamacite, troilite and minor barite. Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa34.0-35.8, FeO/MnO = 86-94, N = 2), pigeonite (Fs22.7-28.6Wo8.2-8.8, FeO/MnO = 49-59, N = 2), augite (Fs17.1-17.4Wo38.5-36.6, FeO/MnO = 51-54, N = 2), anorthite (An95.8-96.9Wo0.4-0.2, N = 2). Classification: Lunar (feldspathic regolith melt breccia). Specimens: 20.62 g including a polished slice and one polished thin section at UWB; remainder with A. Bouragaa, A. Habibi, M. Lyon and M. Ouzillou. |
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from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 108 Lahmada 046Western Sahara Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Bought from Amar Nogout in Erfoud in May 2015. [sic] Physical characteristics: Gray rock without fusion crust. Cut surface reveals black interior with mm-sized, whitish clasts. Petrography: (J. Gattacceca, CEREGE) Sparse mineral clasts (anorthite, olivine, pyroxene) in a melt-rock matrix. Melt rock has numerous vesicles with typical sizes 50 µm. Troilite and rare metal are found in the melt rock. Geochemistry: Anorthite An96.8Ab3.0Or0.2 (n=2). Augite Fs16.8±0.3Wo36.3±0.1, FeO/MnO = 59.0 (n=2). Olivine Fa33.4±1.5, FeO/MnO=72.3±7.2 (n=3) Classification: Lunar (feldspathic melt breccia). Possibly paired with Lahmada 020 Specimens: Type specimen at CEREGE. Main mass with Pierre-Marie Pelé. |
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from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 108 Lahmada 047Saguia el Hamra, Western Sahara Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased in Morocco in 2018. Physical characteristics: Dark-gray irregular fragments. Cut face shows a dark-gray interior. Petrography: (J. Gattacceca, CEREGE) Sparse mineral clasts (anorthite, olivine, pyroxene) in a melt-rock matrix. Melt rock has numerous vesicles with typical sizes 40 µm. Troilite and rare metal are found in the melt rock fraction. Geochemistry: Anorthite An97.0Ab2.8Or0.3 (n=2). Augite Fs17.0Wo36.8, FeO/MnO = 54 (n=1). Olivine Fa37.5±0.4, FeO/MnO=110±6 (n=2). Classification: Lunar (feldspathic melt breccia). Possibly paired with Lahmada 020. Specimens: Type specimen at CEREGE. Main mass with Isabelle Pothier. |
from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113 Lahmada 051Saguia el Hamra, Western Sahara Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purchased in 2023 by Bil Bungay from a meteorite dealer. Physical characteristics: Five stones ranging from 14 cm in diameter, to 4 cm in diameter. No fusion crust present, all stones have exterior desert varnish exterior which is colored from grey to cream and sandy orange tones. Samples are very well consolidated. Interior is very fine grained with a dark gray matrix hosting irregularly distributed small (<1.5 cm, typically <5 mm) pale and dark colored clasts. Petrography: (K. H. Joy and J. Pernet-Fisher, UMan) Feldspathic clast-bearing impact melt breccia, with clasts sited in a fine-grained recrystallised and glassy matrix. Clasts include monomineralic fragments (plagioclase, olivine, orthopyroxene), impact melts and melt breccias, and anorthositic material, along with occurrences of magnesian granulites and porphyritic mare basalts. The mare basalts have pyroxene compositions suggesting a very low titanium basalt affinity. Minor mineral phases include Cr-spinels and sulfides. Calcium carbonate and sulfate veining and pockets occur across the section. Geochemistry: All analyses by EPMA at the University of Bristol. Data to one standard deviation. Olivine: Fa36.99±9.19, FeO/MnO=91.19±4.9 (N=11). Pyroxene: Fs30.57±4.35En50.38±10.86Wo19.05±11.06, FeO/MnO=49.82±3.33 (N=7). Plagioclase: An96.29±1.02Ab3.63±1.07Or0.08±0.13 (N=15). Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic impact melt breccia). Possibly paired with Lahmada 020, which was found ~380 m away to SW of these stones. Specimens: 43.48 g held at UMan. Main mass with Bil Bungay |
Randy Says… I have not studied these meteorites. I am assuming that they are all paired from the descriptions (glassy breccias), distinctive appearance, and reported find locations. Lahmada 047 is the most distant stone, 9-10 km southwest of the other three. |