Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 12830

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 108

Northwest Africa 12830 (NWA 12830)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2019
Mass: 232 g (1 piece)

Lunar Meteorite

History: The meteorite was purchased from a local meteorite dealer in Morocco.

Physical characteristics: Greyish rock partly covered with fusion crust.

 Petrography: (A. Greshake, MNB) The meteorite is a recrystallized melt breccia displaying a poikilitic texture of olivine, pigeonite, and augite up to 50 μm in size enclosing calcic plagioclase. Some plagioclase grains exhibit mechanical twinning, show strongly undulating extinction, and contain planar deformation features. Maskelynite has not been observed. Minor phases include silica, FeS and FeNi-metal. The meteorite is fractured and contains abundant shock melt veins and pockets.

Geochemistry: olivine: Fa_31.8±1.6 (Fa_30.3-34.0, FeO/MnO=100±5, n=11); pigeonite: Fs_28.6±0.4Wo_7.6±0.5 (Fs_28.2-29.1Wo7.1-8.5, FeO/MnO=58±2, n=10); Ca-pyroxene: Fs_17.9±0.9Wo_36.8±1.4 (Fs_16.7-19.6Wo_35.1-39.0, FeO/MnO=46±6, n=11); calcic plagioclase: An_95.4±1.3 (An_92.9-97.1, n=11)

Classification: Lunar (anorthositic melt breccia).

Specimens: 20 g Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 12830.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 12830