Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 11243

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 106

Northwest Africa 11243

Northwestern Africa
Purchased: December 2017
Mass: 80 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Purchased by Ken Regelman in December 2016 from a Moroccan dealer. 

Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Breccia composed of angular mineral fragments and sparse olivine noritic lithic clasts in a finer grained matrix. Minerals are anorthite, olivine, orthopyroxene, pigeonite, ferropigeonite, fayalite, silica polymorph, Al-Ti-chromite, kamacite, ilmenite, troilite and calcite.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_23.3, FeO/MnO = 101), orthopyroxene (Fs_12.9-26.3Wo_4.2-2.4, FeO/MnO = 60-74, N = 2), pigeonite (Fs_30.1Wo_8.7, FeO/MnO = 66), ferropigeonite (Fs_61.1Wo_24.4, FeO/MnO = 64), fayalite (Fa_87.4, FeO/MnO = 80), anorthite (An_97.7-98.3Or_0.3-0.1, N = 2).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: 16.24 g including one polished slice at UWB; remainder with Mr. K. Regelman.

Randy Says…

The unnamed stone does not have a name because it has not been classified (no type specimen). Compositionally, the meteorite is a KREEP-bearing and feldspathic.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 11243

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