Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 6481

Northwest Africa 6481 and end-cut thereof. Photo credits: Stefan Ralew
Lab sample of NWA 6481. Polished side of a slice (top) and unpolished side (bottom). Thanks to Stefan Ralew for the sample. Photo credit: Randy Korotev

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 99

Northwest Africa 6481 (NWA 6481)

Morocco
Find: 2010 August, 2010
Mass: 13.7 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Found on Hamada du Drâa, Morocco, in August 2010 and purchased by Stefan Ralew in November 2010 from a dealer in Ouarzazate, Morocco.

Physical characteristics: A small dark gray stone (13.7 g) lacking fusion crust and containing small white clasts.

Petrography: A fine grained fragmental breccia composed of mineral clasts, sparse lithic clasts (some with ophitic textures) and rare glass fragments. Mineral clasts include anorthitic plagioclase, subcalcic augite, augite, hedenbergite, pigeonite (some exsolved), olivine, ilmenite, kamacite and troilite.

Geochemistry: Pigeonite (Fs25.8-40.0Wo13.7-12.3, FeO/MnO = 54-63), subcalcic augite (Fs23.7Wo29.1, FeO/MnO = 51), augite (Fs16.3Wo43.2, FeO/MnO = 90), olivine (Fa32.6-33.1, FeO/MnO = 88-89), plagioclase (An95.1-96.5Or0.1).

Bulk composition: (R. Korotev, WUSL): FeO 4.7 wt%, La 3.5 ppm, Sm 1.6 ppm, Yb 1.32 ppm, Th 0.60 ppm.

Classification: Achondrite (lunar, feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: A total of 2.8 g is on deposit at UWS. The main mass is held by Ralew.

Randy Says…

Northwest Africa 6481 is compositionally most similar to NWA 6721 but different in detail.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 6481

References

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

Korotev R. L., Irving A. J., and Bunch T. E. (2012) Keeping Up With the Lunar Meteorites – 2012. 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1152.

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