Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 11851

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 107

Northwest Africa 11851 (NWA 11851)

Mali
Purchased: 2018 March
Mass: 227 g (1 piece)

Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Found in the Azawad region of northern Mali and purchased by Habib Naji in March 2018. 

Physical characteristics: A fine grained, medium gray stone (227 g) with macroscopically indistinct clasts; partly coated by light brown weathering products. 

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Polymict breccia consisting of small mineral clasts (anorthite, olivine, pigeonite, augite, orthopyroxene, ilmenite, Ti-Cr-Mg-Al spinel, troilite, merrillite, kamacite) and small lithic clasts (including gabbroic lithologies and quench-textured melt rocks) in a finer grained matrix.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_17.8-23.5, FeO/MnO = 90-127, N = 3), orthopyroxene (Fs_16.1Wo_3.8, FeO/MnO = 53), pigeonite (Fs_25.4-37.2Wo_8.1-13.0, FeO/MnO = 54-60, N = 3), augite (Fs_44.1Wo_35.6, FeO/MnO = 62), plagioclase (An_95.5-95.7Or_0.5-0.3, N = 2).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: 22 g including one polished thin section at UWB; remainder with Mr. H. Naji.

Randy Says…

Compositionally, NWA 11851 is a troctolitic feldspathic lunar meteorite.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 11851

References

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