Lunar Meteorites: Northwest Africa 12788, 12789, and 12790

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northwest Africa 12788 (NWA 12788)

Algeria
Purchased: 2019 April
Mass: 22 g (4 pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: (Ziyao Wang) Purchased by Ziyao Wang from Fayssal Mezgouri in Agadir, Morocco, Apr 2019.

Physical Characteristics: (Ziyao Wang) 4 white stones totalling 22 g, without fusion crust.

Petrography: (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart) fine-grained, microvesicular, melt-textured breccia consisting of mineral fragments (olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, accessory chromite, ilmenite troilite, metal) and lithic clasts (gabbroic, anorthositic).

Geochemistry: (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart, P. Appel and B. Mader, Kiel) Olivine Fa_24.3±4.2, Fe/Mn=88 (n=4); low Ca pyroxene Fs_18.4±5.0Wo_3.4±1.0, Fe/Mn=57 (n=3); pigeonite En₇₁Fs₂₃Wo₆ (n=1); augite En₄₁Fs₁₃Wo₄₅ (n=1); plagioclase An_95-98Or<0.2 (n=12); chromite CRAL62-74, FFM72-80 (n=3); ilmenite. Taenite Ni=21-23, Co=1.8-2.6 wt% (n=3); troilite; pyrrhotite. Magnetic susceptibility (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart) log χ (× 10^-9 m³/kg) = 2.38.

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic melt-breccia).

Specimens: 4.42 g on deposit at Kiel, Wang Ziyao holds the main mass, and 3 g with Bart.

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northwest Africa 12789 (NWA 12789)

Morocco
Purchased: 2019 April
Mass: 22.5 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: (Ziyao Wang) Purchased by Ziyao Wang from a Moroccan dealer in Yiwu/Zhejiang in Apr 2019.

Physical Characteristics: (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart) fine-grained, melt-textured breccia consisting of mineral fragments (olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, accessory chromite, ilmenite, metal) and lithic clasts (gabbroic, anorthositic, melt-rock).

Petrography: (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart) fine-grained, melt-textured breccia consisting of mineral fragments (olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, accessory chromite, ilmenite, metal) and lithic clasts (gabbroic, anorthositic, melt-rock).

Geochemistry: (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart, P. Appel and B. Mader, Kiel) Olivine Fa_24.0±4.6, Fe/Mn=83 (n=10); low-Ca pyroxene Fs_24.9±4.3Wo_3.4±1.0, Fe/Mn=59 (n=3); pigeonite En₆₃Fs₂₅Wo₁₂ (n=1); plagioclase An_92-98Or<0.2 (n=18); chromite CRAL66-76, FFM67-80 (n=2); ilmenite. Kamacite Ni=1.8-8.2, Co=0.7-1.0 wt% (n=3). Magnetic susceptibility (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart) log χ (× 10^-9 m³/kg) = 3.16.

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic melt-breccia).

Specimens: 4.7 g on deposit at Kiel, Wang Ziyao holds the main mass, and 4 g with Bart..

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northwest Africa 12790 (NWA 12790)

Mauritania
Purchased: 2019-April
Mass: 17.6 g (7 pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: (Ziyao Wang) Purchased by Ziyao Wang from Fayssal Mezgouri in Agadir, Morocco, Apr 2019.

Physical Characteristics: (Ziyao Wang) 7 gray-black stones totaling 17.6 g, without fusion crust.

Petrography: (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart) fine-grained, melt-textured breccia consisting of mineral fragments (olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase; accessory chromite, ilmenite, troilite, metal) and lithic clasts (gabbroic, anorthositic, melt-rock).

Geochemistry: (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart, P. Appel and B. Mader, Kiel) Olivine Fa_26.1±6.0, Fe/Mn=89 (n=6); low Ca pyroxene Fs_19.7±2.3Wo_3.8±0.7, Fe/Mn=48 (n=4); pigeonite En₆₉Fs₂₃Wo₈ (n=1); augite En₄₇Fs₁₄Wo₃₉ (n=1); plagioclase An_93-97Or<2 (n=17); chromite CRAL70, FFM72 (n=1); ilmenite. Kamacite Ni=7.6, Co=0.5 wt% (n=1); troilite; pyrrhotite. Magnetic susceptibility (R. Bartoschewitz, Bart) log χ (× 10^-9 m³/kg) = 2.37.

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic melt-breccia)

Specimens: 3.58 g on deposit at Kiel, Wang Ziyao holds the main mass, and 2 g with Bart.

Randy Says…

I have not studied these 3 meteorites. I put them on the same page only for comparison as they were all purchased at the same time by Ziyao Wang and classified 4 years later by Rainer Bartoschewitz. Although the descriptions of 12788 and 12790 are similar, they are different in appearance.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 12788 | 12789 | 12790