Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 14323

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 110

Northwest Africa 14323 (NWA 14323)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2021 May
Mass: 52 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (troctolite)

History: The meteorite was purchased from a group of meteorites hunters in Nouadhibou, Mauritania in May, 2021.

Physical characteristics: Light grayish to slightly greenish rock without fusion crust.

Petrography: (Ansgar Greshake, MNB) Brecciated highly shocked troctolite predominantly composed of olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, and plagioclase crystals with highly variable grain sizes ranging from 20 µm to 1.8 mm. Minor phases are chromite, ilmenite, FeS, and kamacite. The meteorite contains abundant shock veins and plagioclase has been transformed into maskelynite.

Geochemistry: (Ansgar Greshake, MNB) olivine: Fa_20.9±1.1 (Fa_19.7-22.6, FeO/MnO=90±5, n=18); magnesian olivine: Fa_13.2±0.1 (Fa_13.1-13.4, FeO/MnO=85±10, n=12); low-Ca pyroxene: Fs_17.9±1.3Wo_3.6±0.9 (Fs_16.2-19.6Wo_2.9-5.4, FeO/MnO=52±5, n=16); calcic plagioclase: An_96.7±0.5 (An_96.2-98.0, n=12).

Classification: Lunar meteorite (troctolite).

Specimens: 11.6 g at MNB.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 14323. Possibly, it is a pair of the NWA 5744 clan.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 14323