Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 14178
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 110 Northwest Africa 14178 (NWA 14178)(Northwestern Africa) Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia) History: Purchased by Luc Labenne in June 2020 from a Moroccan dealer. Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Fresh monomict breccia consisting of lithic basaltic clasts plus matrix composed of related crystalline debris. Basalt clasts have intergranular texture and are composed predominantly of zoned olivine, zoned clinopyroxene and birefringent calcic plagioclase together with accessory ilmenite, troilite, fayalite, silica polymorph and merrillite. Some plagioclase associated with fayalite, silica and merrillite is notably ferroan. Some lithic clasts have cross-cutting thin, dark glassy shock veinlets.. Geochemistry: Pigeonite core (Fs30.3Wo16.8, FeO/MnO = 52), subcalcic augite core (Fs30.6Wo23.1, FeO/MnO = 56), ferropigeonite rims (Fs76.9-80.7Wo18.3-21.7, FeO/MnO = 82-90, N = 3), augite (Fs20.5Wo40.4, FeO/MnO = 58), ferroan augite (Fs56.9Wo41.9, FeO/MnO = 97), olivine cores (Fa34.2-54.6, FeO/MnO = 90-110, N = 7), fayalite rims (Fa75.0-100.0, FeO/MnO = 89-114, N = 5), plagioclase (An85.2-89.0Or0.0.7-0.2, N = 3), Fe-bearing plagioclase (An85.8Or2.5, FeO = 2.5 wt.%). Classification: Lunar (monomict basaltic breccia, low shock). Specimens: 20.1 g including one polished thin section at UWB; remainder with Labenne. |
Randy Says… I have not studied Northwest Africa 14178. Merle et al. (2024) imply that it might be another member of the NNL launch-pair group (NWA 032/479, NWA 4734/10957, and LAP). |
More InformationMeteoritical Bulletin Database NWA 14178 References Merle R. E., Whitehouse M. J., Nemchin A. A., Deligny C., Kenny G. C., Larsen K. K., and Connelly J. N. (2024) Deciphering the origin of the chemical characteristics of the 3000 Ma-old chemical group of lunar basalts. 86th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, abstract no. 6317. |