Lunar Meteorite: Northeast Africa 003 & 039

no strong evidence for pairing

Northeast Africa 003. Photo credit: Jakub Haloda
End cut of NEA 003. Photo credit: Erich Haiderer
A 2.2-g sample of NEA 003. Photo credit: Norbert Classen
Sawn face of a small fragment of the basalt lithology in NEA 003. Note the weathering. Thanks to Doug Ross for the sample. Photo credit: Randy Korotev
Two views of the breccia lithology in NEA 003. Photo credit: Randy Korotev

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 90

Northeast Africa 003 (NEA 003)

Libya
Find: 2000 November and 2001 December
Mass: 124 g (2 pieces)

Achondrite (lunar, mare basalt and basaltic breccia)

History: A dark gray, 6 g stone was found by a prospector 12 km NW from Al Qaryah ash Sharqiyah in Wadi Zamzam area, Libya, in December 2001. A stone of 118 g with incomplete fusion crust was found nearby in December 2001.

Petrography: (J. Haloda and P. Týcová, PCU) The meteorite contains two adjacent parts, mare basalt and basaltic breccia, both of which were investigated in detail. The main portion (~75 vol%) of the meteorite is coarse-grained, low-Ti olivine-rich basalt, showing porphyritic texture of olivine (Fo19-73), zoned pyroxene (En5-71Wo6-38), and plagioclase (An84-92) with late-stage mesostasis containing silica, Fe-rich pyroxene and pyroxferroite, plagioclase, ilmenite, troilite, and apatite. Opaque phases include chromite, Ti-rich chromite, ulvöspinel, ilmenite, troilite, and trace Fe,Ni metal; shock veins and impact melt pockets are present. All plagioclase is totally converted to maskelynite. Mineral modes are (vol%) olivine = 17.5, pyroxene = 60.6, plagioclase = 18.2, ilmenite = 1.2, spinel = 0.8, mesostasis + impact melt = 1.8.

Geochemistry: Bulk composition: SiO2 = 44.7, TiO2 = 1.3, Cr2O3 = 0.5, Al2O3 = 8.0, FeO = 21.8, MnO = 0.3, MgO = 13.6, CaO = 9.2, Na2O = 0.3, K2O = 0.1 (all wt%), Fe/Mn = 81. Concentration of selected elements (INAA; R. Korotev, WashU) Sc = 50.8, Co = 50.5, Ni = 84, Hf = 1.1, Ta = 0.15, Th = 0.43, U = 0.2 (all ppm); REE pattern is flat at 10 × CI with slight negative Eu anomaly, not depleted in LREE. Adjacent part is basaltic breccia (~25 vol%) consisting of well-consolidated glassy impact-melt matrix containing scattered mineral fragments of chemical composition identical with the coarse-grained low-Ti olivine-rich basalt and two larger clasts of low-Ti mare basalt lithologies. The low-Ti basaltic clasts are finer-grained and petrologically more evolved. No regolith component or highland material is present.

Classification: Achondrite (lunar mare basalt and basaltic breccia).

Specimens: A 20 g type specimen and two polished thin sections are on deposit at PCU. An anonymous finder holds the main mass.

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northeast Africa 039 (NEA 039)

Libya
Purchased: 2023 March
Mass: 1536 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (basalt)

History: Found in Libya and purchased by Mark Lyon in March 2023 from a dealer in Zagora, Morocco and now co-owner by Mark Lyon, Steve Jurvetson and Brian Caress.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and J. Boesenberg, BrownU) This very fresh specimen has an ophitic igneous texture and is composed of stubby prismatic grains of zoned olivine and pigeonite (mean grainsize ~0.5 mm) and maskelynite laths (up to 1 mm long) together with accessory blade-like ilmenite, chromite, troilite, fayalite and silica polymorph. Shock pockets composed of “swirly-textured” glass (mottled pale orange to beige in thin section and most containing a single large vesicle) plus some thin cross-cutting shock veinlets are present. – zoned olivine and pyx – impact melt with cpx, mottled, swirled, undulatory glassy areas.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa38.6-45.3, FeO/MnO = 81-106, N = 9), pigeonite (Fs38.1-80.6Wo11.0-22.4, FeO/MnO = 51-85, N = 15), maskelynite (An85.8-87.4Or0.7-0.3, N = 3).

Classification: Lunar (mare basalt, unbrecciated).

Specimens: 21.4 g including one polished thin section and one polished mount at UWB; remainder held jointly by Mr. M. Lyon, Mr. S. Jurvetson and Mr. B. Caress.

Randy Says…

Mostly, NEA 003 is an unbrecciated mare basalt. Alternatively, as in Dhofar 287, the meteorite is a breccia with a big clast of basalt. The basalt is distinct from Apollo and Luna basalts. Compositionally, the breccia is very different from the basalt and the basalt is unlikely to be a significant component of the breccia.


I include NEA 003 and NEA 039 on the same page so that the descriptions can be easily compared

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NEA 003 | 039

References

Anand M., Tartèse R., Barnes J. J., Starkey N. A., Franchi I. A., and Russell S. S. (2013) Abundance, distribution, and isotopic composition of water in the Moon as revealed by basaltic lunar meteorites. 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1957.

Elardo S. M., Shearer C. K., Vander Kaaden K. E., McCubbin F. M., and Bell A. S. (2015) Petrogenesis of primitive and evolved basalts in a cooling Moon: Experimental constraints from the youngest known lunar magmas. 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 2155.

Fernandes V.A., Burgess R., Bischoff A., Sokol A. K., and Haloda J. (2007) Kalahari 009 and North East Africa 003: Young (<2.5 ga) lunar mare basalts. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII, abstract no. 1611.

Haloda J., Korotev R. L., Týcová P., Jakeš P., and Gabzdyl P. (2006) Lunar meteorite Northeast Africa 003-A: A new lunar mare basalt. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVII, abstract no. 2269.

Haloda J., Týcová P., Jakeš P., Gabzdyl P., and Košler J. (2006) Lunar meteorite Northeast Africa 003-B: A new lunar mare basaltic breccia. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVII, abstract no. 2311.

Haloda J., Gabzdyl P., Týcová, and Fernandes V. A. (2007) Lunar meteorite Northeast Africa 003-A: Microstructures, crystallization modeling and possible lunar source areas. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII, abstract no. 2025.

Haloda J., Fernandes V.A., Burgess R., and Thöni M. (2007) Lunar mare basalt meteorite NEA003-A: Chronology, chemical and petrological composition. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract id. V23B-1440.

Haloda J., Tycova P., Thöni M., and Jelenc M. (2009) The petrogenesis and chronology of lunar meteorite Northeast Africa 003-A: Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic studies. 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1247.

Haloda J., Týcová P., Korotev R. L., Fernandes V. A., Burgess R., Thöni M., Jelenc M., Jakeš P., Gabzdyl P., and Košler J. (2009) Petrology, geochemistry, and age of low-Ti mare-basalt meteorite Northeast Africa 003-A: A possible member of the Apollo 15 mare basaltic suite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 73, 3450-3470.

Korotev R. L. and Irving A. J. (2021) Lunar meteorites from northern Africa. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 206–240. 

Korotev R. L. and Zeigler R. A. (2007) Keeping up with the lunar meteorites. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII, abstract no. 1340.

Lunar Meteorites
List – ABC123 Order
List – Al2O3 Order