Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 14695

Two views of a 5-g stone of Northwest Africa 14695. Like many NWA lunar meteorites, this stone has no fusion crust because the crust has been sandblasted away by sand-bearing wind. Also, this meteorite landed perhaps as one stone which has fractured and disassembled into 72 pieces from terrestrial weathering. Not all of the pieces would have had original fusion crust. Caliche is the name for the orangish deposit of terrestrial minerals on the left. The deposit is probably on the “up” side of the stone in the desert. Photo credit: Steve Arnold

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Northwest Africa 14695 (NWA 14695)

Morocco
Purchased: 2021 Morocco
Mass: 510 g (72 pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: 72 individual fragments and some smaller part fragments totaling 510 g were purchased by Steve Arnold from a meteorite dealer while visiting Zagora, Morocco, in November 2021.

Physical Characteristics: Samples have a gray exterior with white clasts visible. Patches of orange caliche cover some portions of the stone. The interior shows a brecciated texture.

Petrography: Description and classification (A. Love, App). Sample is brecciated mixture of lithic and subrounded to angular mineral clasts of olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase in comminuted matrix. Lithic fragments include: anorthosite, troctolite and glassy breccias. Additional minerals are: ilmenite, chromite, barite, a silica polymorph, spinel, rare FeNi metal.

Geochemistry: (A. Love, App) Olivine (Fa26.5±7.6, Fe/Mn=76.8±4.3, n=4). Some olivine have been altered as indicated by their lower analytical totals of 90-95 wt%. Ca pyroxene (Fs23.7±4.1Wo4.0±0.3, Fe/Mn50.2±1.4, n=4); pigeonite (Fs28.1±4.0Wo19.5±12.2, Fe/Mn=39.4±12.5, n=9); high Ca pyroxene (24.0±4.1Wo33.6±4.8, Fe/Mn=47.9±3.8, n=6); plagioclase (An97.0±0.5Or0.0±0.0, n=9).

Classification: (Lunar feldspathic breccia) Textures, mineral compositions suggest this is a lunar meteorite.

Specimens: teve Arnold holds the main masses. A polished thin section and many fragments weighing a total of 20.1 g are on deposit at App.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 14695.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 14695

Lunar Meteorites
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List – Al2O3 Order