Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 14747

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Northwest Africa 14747 (NWA 14747)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2021
Mass: 5.3 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (melt breccia)

History: Purchased in Morocco from Adam Aaronson by Michael Farmer in 2021. Steve Jurvetson holds the main mass.

Physical Characteristics: Exterior is sandblasted, dark gray in color, with irregular surface topography. Sawcut surfaces reveal this meteorite to be a breccia with scattered fragments of light-colored clasts set in dark gray matrix.

Petrography: C. Agee, UNM) Electron microprobe analysis and reflected light microscopy of a polished mount show this meteorite to be an anorthositic gabbronorite melt breccia consisting primarily of fine-grained pigeonite with lesser amounts of subcalcic augite and olivine all of which are poikilitically enclosed in a plagioclase-rich vesicular melt rock host. Trace amounts of ilmenite, troilite, Fe-metal (low Ni), and CuZn-metal alloy were detected.

Geochemistry: (A. Ross, UNM) Olivine Fa_26.0±0.6, Fe/Mn=94±11, n=6; pigeonite Fs_21.6±0.5Wo_4.5±0.2, Fe/Mn=56±3, n=4; subcalcic augite Fs_14.0±3.3Wo_38.2±1.4, Fe/Mn=46±9, n=4; plagioclase An_96.0±0.6, n=4.

Classification: Lunar (anorthositic gabbronorite melt breccia), nomenclature based on Stoeffler et al. (1980).

Specimens: 22.4 g on deposit at UNM, Steve Jurvetson holds the main mass.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 14747.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 14747