Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 14741

BSE (back-scattered electron images) of 4 portions of a petrographic thin section of NWA 14741 showing the microvesicularity (black circles) in the melt matrix. Note the 100 μm horizontal scale bar in the lower right corner of each image. The vesicles are typically <50 μm in diameter. In BSE images of lunar rocks, the brightest mineral crystals are usually ilmenite, the light-gray minerals are pyroxene (zoned, upper right) and olivine, and the dark gray minerals are plagioclase. The matrix is intermediate gray. Image credit: Paul Carpenter.
Two views of a 0.68-g (top) and 1.92-g (bottom) slice of Northwest Africa 14741. The vesicularity can be seen in these photos also. Photo credits: Matthew Stream

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Northwest Africa 14741 (NWA 14741)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2021 November
Mass: 19.1 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia)

History: Purchased by Matthew Stream in November 2021 from a dealer in Agadir, Morocco.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) The studied small endcut is a breccia consisting of several mare basalt clasts (exhibiting intergranular and microgabbroic textures) set within a fine grained matrix. The matrix is highly microvesicular (with pervasive calcite infillings) and has a quenched melt rock texture surrounding numerous small mineral clasts. The larger lithic clasts are composed of olivine, zoned clinopyroxene and calcic plagioclase (apparently crystalline) together with accessory ilmenite, baddeleyite, merrillite (rare earth element-bearing), medium-Ti chromite, troilite and rare kamacite. Some secondary barite is present in the matrix.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa29.1-53.6, FeO/MnO = 95-106, N = 6), pigeonite (Fs24.3Wo13.9, FeO/MnO = 57), ferropigeonite (Fs68.9Wo21.2, FeO/MnO = 69), subcalcic augite (Fs16.9-22.8Wo35.8-34.9, FeO/MnO = 48-54, N = 2), plagioclase (An83.2-84.5Or0.5-0.3, N = 3).

Classification: Lunar (basaltic breccia, microvesicular).

Specimens: 3.82 g in the form of a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with Mr. M. Stream.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 14741.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 14741

Lunar Meteorites
List – ABC123 Order
List – Al2O3 Order