Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 16469, 16470, & 16471
assumed paired stones
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113 Northwest Africa 16469 (NWA 16469)Morocco Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: In May 2021, Xin Li purchased the meteorite, originally discovered in Morocco, from Peng Wang, a dealer in Xinjiang, China. Physical Characteristics: The specimen is irregular in shape, with white fragments visibly embedded in a dark matrix when observed with the naked eye. A small amount of gray-white terrestrial materials are visible in the fissures. Petrography: The polished section consists of mineral, lithic, and glassy clasts set in an opaque feldspathic matrix. The ratio of fragments to matrix is approximately 2:3. The mineral clasts include plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine, with particle sizes ranging from over 200 µm to less than 2 mm. The lithic clasts are primarily anorthosite. Some silicates exhibit impact-induced fractures, and millimeter-sized voids are visible. A small amount of ilmenite and terrestrial alteration products are present. Geochemistry: Plagioclase: An95.29-97.52Or0.00-0.38(n=24); Olivine: Fo64.6-79.3, Fe/Mn=87-121 (n=10); Pyroxene Wo2.1En67.0Fs30.9, Mg#=68, Fe/Mn 52.5(n=1). Classification: lunar (feldspathic breccia). Specimens: TThe main mass is in the possession of Xin Li from Chengdu University of Technology, while a cut piece of 1.8 g and one polished thin section are on deposited at GUT. |
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113 Northwest Africa 16470 (NWA 16470)Morocco Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: In May 2021, Xin Li purchased the meteorite, originally discovered in Morocco, from Peng Wang, a dealer in Xinjiang, China. Physical Characteristics: The specimen is irregular in shape, retains a small amount of fusion crust, is grayish-black in color, and is coated with a substantial amount of yellow terrestrial materials. Petrography: The polished section of the specimen reveals that mineral and lithic clasts are distributed in a dark fine-grained feldspathic matrix. Fractures in the mineral clasts and melt veins are observed in this section. The lithic clasts consist largely of anorthosite, with a minor amount of troctolitic granulites. Mineral clasts predominantly consist of plagioclase, with a small amount of pyroxene and olivine. Fusion crust is also observed in the polished section. Trace phases include ilmenite, troilite, and Fe-Ni metal. Geochemistry: Plagioclase: An95.99-97.19Or0.00-0.49(n=12); Olivine: Fo54.5-80.2, Fe/Mn=81-111 (n=9); pyroxene: Fs23.9-35.3Wo4.0-28.2En44.3-71.2, Fe/Mn=51-75(n=5). Classification: lunar (feldspathic breccia). Specimens: The main mass is in the possession of Xin Li from Chengdu University of Technology, while a cut piece of 2.1 g and one polished thin section are on deposited at GUT. |
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 113 Northwest Africa 16471 (NWA 16471)Morocco Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: In May 2021, Xin Li purchased the meteorite, originally discovered in Morocco, from Peng Wang, a dealer in Xinjiang, China. Physical Characteristics: The specimen is enveloped in yellow terrestrial material, with residual fusion crust visible in exposed areas Petrography: The polished section of the specimen consists of mineral, lithic, and glassy clasts, set within a matrix that is both clastic and dark, with a feldspathic composition. Several fractures are observed cutting through both the matrix and the clasts. The matrix contains numerous mineral clasts, each smaller than 1 mm, predominantly composed of plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine. Primarily, the lithic clasts are anorthosite, typically in the millimeter size range, and occasionally associated with minor amounts of crystalline impact melt. Trace phases present include ilmenite and chromite. Geochemistry: Plagioclase: An94.00-97.25Or0.07-0.51(n=7); olivine: Fo52.5-74.3, Fe/Mn=84-110 (n=5); pyroxene: Fs12.0-37.8Wo4.0-41.1En43.2-73.2, Fe/Mn=51-70(n=7) Classification: lunar (feldspathic breccia). Specimens: The main mass is in the possession of Xin Li from Chengdu University of Technology, while a cut piece and one polished thin section are on deposited at GUT. |
| Randy Says… I have not studied these three stones. I assume that they are paired because the collector bought all three small pieces from the same dealer at the same time and the descriptions are similar. Observation: These three stones are among about twelve <20-g NWA lunar meteorite to be classified since the beginning of 2022. I suspect that some to most are different “pieces” of any of a number of large-mass meteorites classified during the same time period that are described as consisting of “many” pieces, e.g., NWA 15373, NWA 15375, and NWA 15604/05. |