Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 16002

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northwest Africa 16002 (NWA 16002)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2022-March
Mass: 660 g (4 pieces)

Lunar meteorite (troctolitic anorthosite)

History: Purchased by Aziz Zad in March 2022 from a dealer in Adrar, Algeria, and subsequently acquired by Wei Jiang in 2022.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS, and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Clast-rich breccia dominated by angular mineral debris and some polymineralic clasts derived from troctolitic anorthosites and lithologies rich in low-Ca pyroxenes. Very little augite is present. The mean grainsize of olivine and pyroxenes is ~50 µm. Tiny vesicles are present within the sparse, fine grained anorthite-rich matrix. Accessory phases include Cr-pleonaste, medium-Ti chromite, ilmenite and troilite.

Geochemistry: Anorthite (An_96.6-97.4Or_0.0, N = 4), olivine (Fa_19.8-40.8, FeO/MnO = 81-108, N = 7), orthopyroxene (Fs_19.7-26.9Wo_2.7-4.3, FeO/MnO = 52-55, N = 3), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs_34.1-36.2Wo_4.4-8.9, FeO/MnO = 60-73, N = 3), pigeonite (Fs_25.7Wo_16.3, FeO/MnO = 47), ferroan pigeonite (Fs_50.3Wo_19.1, FeO/MnO = 62), subcalcic augite (Fs_29.4Wo_24.5, FeO/MnO = 54), augite (Fs_8.8-11.7Wo_43.5-42.0, FeO/MnO = 43, N = 2).

Classification: Lunar (troctolitic anorthositic melt breccia).

Specimens: 21.6 g including one polished thin section at UWB; remainder with WangZ.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 16002.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 16002