Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 15782

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northwest Africa 15782 (NWA 15782)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2022 November
Mass: 276 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Purchased by Ziyao Wang in November 2022 from a dealer in Ouarzazate, Morocco.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS, and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia containing some basaltic lithic clasts but composed predominantly of angular mineral clasts of anorthite, relatively ferroan olivine, exsolved pigeonite and unexsolved pigeonite in a fine grained matrix containing orthopyroxene, subcalcic augite, ilmenite, medium-Ti chromite, troilite and minor secondary barite.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_56.8-62.9, FeO/MnO = 89-100, N = 4), orthopyroxene (Fs_30.5Wo_3.0; Fs₅₃,5Wo_2.1; FeO/MnO = 58-64, N = 2), pigeonite (Fs_33.6Wo_0.3, FeO/MnO = 61), subcalcic augite (Fs_29.1Wo_28.7, FeO/MnO = 65), low-Ca pyroxene exsolution lamellae (Fs_48.5Wo_4.3; Fs_63.0Wo_2.2; FeO/MnO = 64-66, N = 2), pigeonite exsolution lamella (Fs_32.0Wo_16.3, FeO/MnO = 66), augite exsolution lamella (Fs_29.5Wo_40.9, FeO/MnO = 66), anorthite (An_96.0-97.5Or_0.1, N = 4).

Classification: Lunar Lunar (feldspathic mingled breccia, relatively ferroan).

Specimens: 20.3 g including a polished slice at UWB; remainder with WangZ.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 15782.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 15782