Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 10073 & 15216

Northwest Africa 10073 (NWA 10073)

(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: 2015 January
Mass: 64 g (1 piece)

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Purchased in Temara, Morocco by Adam Aaronson in January 2015.

Physical characteristics: Single stone (64 g) with a wind-ablated exterior and an interior consisting of whitish clasts (up to 8 mm) in a dark gray matrix.

Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, orthopyroxene, subcalcic augite, augite, ferropigeonite, ilmenite, Al-bearing chromite, Ni-poor kamacite and troilite, together with rare glass fragments, in a finer grained matrix. Patches of shock glass are present.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_24.6-40.4, FeO/MnO = 88-105, N = 3), orthopyroxene (Fs_11.8Wo_3.0; Fs_31.1-38.9Wo_2.3-2.2; Fs_50.7Wo_2.1; FeO/MnO = 54-65, N = 3), pigeonite (Fs_19.4Wo_10.6, FeO/MnO = 63), ferropigeonite (Fs_54.2Wo_16.6, FeO/MnO = 62), titanian ferropigeonite (Fs_74.6Wo1_4.8, FeO/MnO = 65, TiO₂ = 8.4 wt.%, Al₂O₃ = 1.4 wt.%, Na₂O = 0.18 wt.%), subcalcic augite (Fs_38.0Wo_27.0, FeO/MnO = 58), augite (Fs_6.5Wo_43.7, FeO/MnO = 39), plagioclase (An_95.5-98.5Or_0.2, N = 2).

Bulk composition (R. Korotev, WUSL) INAA of subsamples gave the following mean abundances (in wt.%) FeO 3.7, Na₂O 0.40; (in ppm) Sc 7.4, Ni 160, La 3.1, Sm 1.45, Eu 0.80, Yb 1.1, Lu 0.15, Hf 1.1, Th 0.57.

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic fragmental breccia).

Specimens: 12.8 g including one polished endcut at UWB. The remainder is held by Aaronson.

Northwest Africa 15216 (NWA 15216)

(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: 2015
Mass: 249 g (1 piece)

Classification: Lunar meteorite (fragmental breccia)

History: Purchased by Jay Piatek from Rachid Chaiou in 2015.

Physical characteristics: Sandblasted exterior, broken surface reveals a breccia with light colored clasts set in a dark colored groundmass. Some desert weathering and caliche are present.

Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, orthopyroxene, subcalcic augite, augite, ferropigeonite, ilmenite, Al-bearing chromite, Ni-poor kamacite and troilite, together with rare glass fragments, in a finer grained matrix. Patches of shock glass are present.

Geochemistry: (C. Agee, UNM) Plagioclase An_94.2±2.7Ab_5.3±2.2, n=12; clinopyroxene Fs_40.3±19.0Wo_19.0±10.6, Fe/Mn=58±10, n=28; olivine Fa_29.9±8.0, Fe/Mn=95±9, n=6.

Classification: Lunar fragmental breccia

Specimens: 25 g on deposit at UNM, Jay Piatek holds the main mass.

Randy Says…

Compositionally, Northwest Africa 10073 is a typical feldspathic lunar meteorite that I analyzed in February, 2015, the year it was purchased. In July, 2015, I also analyzed a sample unofficially known to me as RC249 that I identified as an unnamed pair of NWA 10073 on the basis of identical compositions (Korotev and Irving, 2021) and similar appearance (photos above). NWA 15216 was not classified until 2022. Because the unofficial sample designation includes the sellers initials and the stone mass, I assume that RC249 and NWA 15216 are the same meteorite.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 10073 | 15216

References

Korotev R. L. and Irving A. J. (2016) Not quite keeping up with the lunar meteorites – 2016. 47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1358.

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