Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 15059

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113

Northwest Africa 15059 (NWA 15059)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2022 May
Mass: 1367 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

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

Physical Characteristics: A single stone (1367 g) composed of gray and whitish, rounded lithic clasts (up to about 2 cm size) in a fine grained dark gray matrix.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of calcic plagioclase, olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, exsolved pigeonite, subcalcic augite and rare labradorite plus some glass beads within a partly glassy, partly vesicular matrix containing ilmenite, zircon, REE-merrillite, troilite, kamacite and taenite.

Geochemistry: Calcic plagioclase (An_85.9-96.0Or_0.4-0.0, N = 3), olivine (Fa_28.6-40.0, FeO/MnO = 97-107, N = 3), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs_69.0Wo_5.5, FeO/MnO = 78), subcalcic augite (Fs_35.7-55.2Wo_25.7-21.1, FeO/MnO = 56-63, N = 2), augite (Fs_24.7-44.2Wo_40.4-36.0, FeO/MnO = 58-65, N = 2), low-Ca pyroxene exsolution lamellae in augite (Fs_51.9-58.5Wo_3.4-4.4, FeO/MnO = 68-75, N = 2), fayalite (Fa_83.2, FeO/MnO = 108), labradorite (An_53.5Or_1.3).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic regolith breccia with vesicular melted regions, zircon-bearing).

Specimens: 20.1 g in the form of a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with Mr. T. Boudreaux.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 15059.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 15059