Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 15052

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Northwest Africa 15052 (NWA 15052)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2022 May
Mass: 202 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (basaltic breccia)

History: Purchased by Terry Boudreaux in May 2022 from a dealer in Zagora, Morocco.

Physical Characteristics: A single, very dark gray stone (202 g) lacking fusion crust. The fresh interior contains small gray to white clasts in a dark gray matrix.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed predominantly of crystalline debris and intact lithic clasts from mare basalt lithologies. Some lithic clasts contain acicular plagioclase and several have glass present, and at least one ilmenite-bearing pigeonite basalt clast was observed. Minerals include olivine, calcic plagioclase, pigeonite, ferropigeonite, subcalcic augite, ilmenite, troilite, zircon, REE-bearing merrillite, baddeleyite, Ti-chromite and rare kamacite. Glass fragments (some K-bearing) as well as symplectitic intergrowths of fayalite+ferroaugite+silica polymorph are also present.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_31.3-99.7, FeO/MnO = 94-110, N = 7), pigeonite (Fs_39.8Wo_7.7; Fs_27.6Wo_20.1; FeO/MnO = 56-64; N = 2), ferropigeonite (Fs_71.0-79.6Wo_14.6-13.8, FeO/MnO = 62-71, N = 2), subcalcic augite (Fs_26.6Wo_29.6; Fs_39.8Wo_27.8; FeO/MnO = 51-66; N = 2), ferroaugite (Fs_56.7Wo_39.5, FeO/MnO = 79), plagioclase (An_83.8-91.4Or_1.8-0.2, N = 4).

Classification: Lunar (basaltic breccia).

Specimens: 20.l g including a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with Mr. T. Boudreaux.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 15052.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 15052