Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 15800

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northwest Africa 15800 (NWA 15800)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2023 January
Mass: 23 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: The meteorite was purchased from a group of meteorites hunters in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, in January, 2023.

Physical Characteristics: Dark grayish rock lacking fusion crust.

Petrography: (A. Greshake, MNB)Polymict breccia composed of up to 1 cm sized feldspathic melt clasts and a great diversity of up to 8 mm sized mineral fragments set in a fine-grained partly shock molten matrix. Dominant minerals are olivine of different chemical composition, low-Ca pyroxene, exsolved pyroxene, spinel, and anorthite that has been completely coverted into maskelynite. Minor phases include ilmenite, troilite, and FeNi metal.

Geochemistry: (A. Greshake, MNB) Compositions of olivine: Fa_11.2±0.1, FeO/MnO=77±9, n=10; Fa_19.9±0.2, FeO/MnO=84±7, n=10; Fa_34.0±0.6, FeO/MnO=93±7, n=7; Fa_53.8±0.3, FeO/MnO=97±4, n=5; zoned olivine: Fa_14.8±3.5 (Fa_10.4-20.1, FeO/MnO=93±19, n=10); low-Ca pyroxene: Fs_9.7±0.1Wo_4.2±0.1, FeO/MnO=52±4, n=10); low-Ca pyroxene host to exsolution lamellae: Fs_50.0±0.3Wo_2.4±0.2 (Fs_49.8-50.5Wo_2.2-2.7, FeO/MnO=60±3, n=7); Ca-pyroxene exsolution lamellae: Fs_6.4±0.1Wo_42.5±0.2 (Fs_6.2-6.6Wo_42.4-43.0, FeO/MnO=36±8, n=7); calcic plagioclase: An_95.9±0.5 (An_95.1-96.9, n=10); spinel: Cr#3.5±0.1, Mg#85.7±1.3, n=10.

Classification: Lunar feldspathic breccia.

Specimens: 5.2 g at MNB. Main mass with Salamu Ali.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 15800.

More Information

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NWA 15800