Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 15172 and 15173
assumed paired stones
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111 Northwest Africa 15172 (NWA 15172)Algeria Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Found in 2021 in Algeria, in the Tindouf area. Bought by Isabelle Pothier from Yunès Chaoui in Morocco. Physical Characteristics: Dark stone without fusion crust, with mm-sized white clast visible at the surface. Petrography: (J. Gattacceca, CEREGE) Clast-rich brecica with mineral clasts (pyroxene, plagioclase) to mm set in a feldspathic matrix. Accessory minerals: ilmenite, troilite, siilca polymorph. Rare metal. Geochemistry: Pyroxene Fs38.2±12.0Wo26.2±6.7, FeO/MnO = 56.0±10.4 (n=6). Plagioclase clasts An95.7±2.2Ab4.2±2.2Or0.1±0.1 (n =4). Feldspathic mesostasis An92.9±0.2Ab6.8±0.2Or0.3±0.0 (n=4). Classification: Achondrite (lunar, feldspathic breccia). Specimens: Type specimen at CEREGE. Main mass with Isabelle Pothier. |
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111 Northwest Africa 15173 (NWA 15173)Algeria Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Found in 2021 in Algeria, in the Tindouf area. Bought by Isabelle Pothier from Yunès Chaoui in Morocco. Physical Characteristics: Dark grey stone. Cut surface reveals a gray interior with mm-sized white clasts. Petrography: (J. Gattacceca, CEREGE) Breccia with mineral clasts (olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, silica polymorph) with typical size 100 µm set in a melt rock feldspathic matrix. A single 300 μm-sized lithic clast with granoblastic texturesize, was observed in the studied section. Accessory minerals: ilmenite, troilite, chromite. Rare metal. Geochemistry: Olivine Fa36.0±0.1, FeO/MnO = 90.0±7.0 (n=3). Pyroxene Fs26.3±5.3Wo15.8±10.5, FeO/MnO = 68.3±13.2 (n=3). Plagioclase clasts An90.8Ab98.7Or0.5 (n=2). Feldspathic mesostasis An90.6Ab9.1Or0.3 (n=2). Granoblastic clast: olivine Fa81.9, FeO/MnO = 106.2 (n=2); pyroxene Fs36.7Wo37.4, FeO/MnO = 79.7 (n=1). Classification: Achondrite (lunar, feldspathic melt breccia). Specimens: Type specimen at CEREGE. Main mass with Isabelle Pothier. |
| Randy Says… I have not studied Northwest Africa 15172 and 15173. I assume that they are paired from the similarities in the descriptions. |