Lunar Meteorite: Qued Mya 004

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Qued Mya 004

Ghardaia, Algeria
Find: 2021 January
Mass: 345 g (1 piece)

Lunar meteorite (melt breccia)

History: Found approximately 80 km southeast of El Menia, Algeria in January 2021. Purchased by Jay Piatek from a meteorite dealer in 2021.

Physical Characteristics: Single stone with two visually distinct lithologies: 1) light tan-green colored fragmental breccia and 2) black vesicular melt-rock which forms sharp boundaries with and also intrudes the lighter lithology.

Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Electron microprobe analysis and reflected microscopy of a polished mount show this meteorite to be a polymict melt breccia with an anorthositic norite host rock consisting of fine-grained orthopyroxene, augite, and olivine poikilitically enclosed in plagioclase. Domains of vesicular melt rock and very fine-grained minerals and rock clasts bound and intrude the host rock. Minor phases chromite and silica were detected.

Geochemistry: (A. Ross, UNM) Olivine Fa_16.3±10.8, Fe/Mn=86±13, n=10; low-Ca pyroxene Fs_22.6±6.9Wo_3.5±1.0, Fe/Mn=57±5, n=9; augite Fs_8.5±8.6Wo_44.7±1.8, Fe/Mn=44±6, n=3; plagioclase An_94.0±1.9Ab_5.5±1.7, n=6.

Classification: Lunar (polymict anorthositic norite melt breccia), nomenclature based on Stoeffler et al. (1980). The Mg# of olivine and An-content of plagioclase of this meteorite are consistent with that of the Apollo Lunar Mg-suite (Warren, 1993).

Specimens: 20 g on deposit at UNM, Jay Piatek holds the main mass.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Qued Mya 004.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Qued Mya 004