Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 12980
NWA 8046-clan pair?
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 108 Northwest Africa 12980 (NWA 12980)Mauritania Classification: Lunar impact melt breccia History: A single weathered stone lacking a fusion crust was found by nomads in Mauritania in November 2018 and purchased by Graham Ensor in Morocco in June 2019. Physical characteristics: Dark gray/brown sandblasted exterior, with many irregularly shaped fragments set in a glassy impact melt groundmass. No fusion crust. Petrography: (T. S. Hayden, M. Anand, OU). The meteorite is a clast rich impact melt breccia containing numerous mineral and lithic fragments embedded in a glassy partially recrystallised impact melt matrix. The lithic clast populations consists primarily of highlands clasts, dominated by anorthitic plagioclase and Ca-rich pyroxene, with olivine components. The size range of the lithic clasts is 0.11-1.73 mm. Mineral clasts are mainly pyroxene, olivine, plagioclase and spinel group phases. Geochemistry: Mineral Composition and Geochemistry: (T. S. Hayden, M. Anand, OU) Feldspar (An96.8±0.6Ab3.0±0.59, N = 93), Pigeonite (Fs31.0±7.4Wo9.4±2.9, Fe/Mn = 54.5±5.2, N=29), Augite (Fs18.9±9.3Wo36.5±6.3, Fe/Mn = 48.1±6.6, N=27), Clinoenstatite (Fs22.3±6.7Wo4.3±0.5, Fe/Mn = 56.6±3.3, N=8), Olivine (Fa34.8±10.2, Fe/Mn = 95.7±13.6, N=120). Classification: Lunar impact melt breccia Specimens: Specimen: 20.3 g held at OU. Graham Ensor holds the main mass (1.3 kg). |
| Randy Says… I have not analyzed this meteorite. It may be another stone of the NWA 8046 clan. |
More InformationMeteoritical Bulletin Database NWA 12980 |