Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 8586

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 103

Northwest Africa 8586 (NWA 8586)

Mauritania
Purchased: 2014 Feb
Mass: 704.5 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Purportedly found in Mauritania and purchased by Darryl Pitt in February 2014 from a dealer in Nouadhibou, Mauritania.

Physical characteristics: Single stone (704.5 g) composed of light gray to beige clasts in a dark gray matrix.

Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Fragmental breccia consisting of angular clasts in a finer grained matrix. Minerals are olivine orthopyroxene, subcalcic augite, augite, diopside), anorthite, ilmenite, troilite, rare kamacite and taenite. Several small mare basalt clasts were observed.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa_21.7-47.0, FeO/MnO = 80-85, N = 3), orthopyroxene (Fs_32.3-47.7Wo_2.9-2.7, FeO/MnO = 53-65), subcalcic augite (Fs_45.3-51.6Wo_25.6-21.4, FeO/MnO = 55-59), augite (Fs_13.7-14.2Wo_44.3-44.0, FeO/MnO = 36-39), diopside (Fs_8.7Wo_40.8, FeO/MnO = 38), plagioclase (An_96.9-97.4Or_0.1-0.2).

Bulk composition: (R. Korotev, WUSL) INAA of subsamples gave the following mean abundances (in wt.%) FeO 4.3, Na₂O 0.39; (in ppm) Sc 8.5, Ni 66, La 2.7, Sm 1.18, Eu 0.81, Yb 1.10, Lu 0.156, Hf 0.94, Th 0.7.

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic fragmental breccia).

Specimens: 20.1 g including one polished thin section at UWB. The main mass is held by DPitt.

Randy Says…

Compositionally, Northwest Africa 8586 is a typical feldspathic lunar meteorite.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 8586

References

Korotev R. L. and Irving A. J. (2015) Keeping up with the lunar meteorites – 2015. 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, abstract no. 1942.

Korotev R. L. and Irving A. J. (2021) Lunar meteorites from northern Africa. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 206–240.