Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 8001

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 102

Northwest Africa 8001 (NWA 8001)

(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: 2013 June
Mass: 23.4 g (1 piece)

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Purchased by Darryl Pitt in June 2013 from a Moroccan dealer.

Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Complex polymict breccia composed of angular mineral clasts, some mare basalt clasts and glass spheres in a fine grained matrix. Sparse grains of forsterite are present; other minerals are more ferroan olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, subcalcic augite, anorthite, ilmenite and troilite.

Geochemistry: Forsterite (Fa_5.7-9.0; FeO/MnO = 91-104), ferroan olivine (Fa_39.7-47.7; FeO/MnO = 89-95), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs_31.2-33.5Wo_5.6-3.9; FeO/MnO = 56-63), subcalcic augite (Fs_17.2-44.4Wo_36.5-26.6; FeO/MnO = 49-62), subcalcic ferroaugite (Fs_58.8Wo_33.4; FeO/MnO = 72), anorthite (An_96.8-97.3Or_0.1-0.2).

Bulk composition: (R. Korotev, WUSL): INAA of subsamples gave mean abundances of FeO 4.8 wt.%, and (in ppm) Sc 9, La 7.9, Sm 3.7, Eu 0.96, Yb 2.7, Th 1.3.

Classification: Lunar (mingled regolithic breccia). Olivine as magnesian as that present in this meteorite is unknown among other lunar specimens.

Specimens: 4.7 g and one polished thin section are at UWB. The remainder is with DPitt.

Randy Says…

Northwest Africa 8001 is a KREEP-bearing feldspathic lunar meteorite.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 8001

References

Korotev R. L. and Irving A. J. (2014) Keeping up with the lunar meteorites – 2014. 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1405.

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

Kuehner S. M., Irving A. J., and Korotev R. L. (2014) Petrology and composition of lunar felsic granulitic breccia Northwest Africa 8022 and occurrence of forsterite in lunar breccia NWA 8001. 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 2495.