Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 14884

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Northwest Africa 14884 (NWA 14884)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2021
Mass: 243 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia)

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

Physical Characteristics: Dark grayish fragment without fusion crust.

Petrography: The meteorite displays a dark brownish interior and is a breccia composed of up to 1 cm sized basaltic and few impact melt clasts set into a fine-grained related and partly shock melted mineral matrix. Basaltic clasts have mostly intersertal and intergranular textures. Dominant minerals are zoned pyroxene, zoned olivine, ferroan and magnesian pigeonite, and calcic plagioclase. Minor phases include ilmenite, troilite, and fayalite. No metal detected. Contains calcite filled veins.

Geochemistry: Zoned pyroxene: Fs_59.8±14.4Wo_24.6±5.6 (Fs_33.0-80.3Wo_19.0-37.2, FeO/MnO=69±8, n=20); ferroan pigeonite: Fs_73.6±0.7Wo_17.0±0.4 (Fs_72.5-74.6Wo_16.5-17.7, FeO/MnO=70±4, n=5); magnesian pigeonite: Fs_27.5±0.2Wo_7.4±0.1 (Fs_27.3-27.7Wo_7.3-7.5, FeO/MnO=53±1, n=5); zoned olivine: Fa_31.8±7.0 (Fa_25.5-44.7), FeO/MnO=89±8, n=10; calcic plagioclase: An_88.2±1.1 (An_87.0-91.4, n=10).

Classification: Lunar (basaltic breccia).

Specimens: 21.7 g at MNB. Main mass with L. Labenne.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 14884. Composition data are required to establish if it is a likely pair to another basaltic breccia.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 14884