Lunar Meteorite: Rabt Sbayta 008
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 106 Rabt Sbayta 008 Rio de Oro, Western Sahara Lunar Meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: Purportedly found at a location NE of Bir Anzarane and purchased by Ben Hoefnagels in January 2017 from a dealer in Ouarzazate, Morocco. Physical characteristics: A single broken, pale beige-colored, roughly prismatic-shaped stone (229 g) with degraded fusion crust coating three sides. Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Leucocratic, clast-rich breccia composed predominantly of anorthite, olivine, pigeonite and subcalcic augite with accessory ilmenite, chromite, troilite and kamacite. Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa24.4-60.5, FeO/MnO = 84-89, N = 3), orthopyroxene (Fs20.6Wo3.2, FeO/MnO = 51), pigeonite (Fs21.29Wo7.7, FeO/MnO = 46), subcalcic augite (Fs21.0Wo23.6; Fs29.5Wo32.1; FeO/MnO = 41-54), plagioclase (An95.6-96.3Or0.2, N = 2). Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia). Although this lunar specimen was found in the same dense collection area as the Rabt Sbayta 002, Rabt Sbayta 004, Rabt Sbayta 005 and Rabt Sbayta 006 stones (but at a different location from Gataa Sfar), it differs from those stones in both petrologic and bulk compositional characteristics and thus is not paired with them (nor with Rabt Sbayta 007). Specimens: 24.3 g including a polished slice at UWB; remainder with Mr. B. Hoefnagels. |
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Randy Says… Rabt Sbayta 008 is somewhat like the NWA 3163 clan in composition (low-KREEP anorthositic norite) but different in texture. |
More InformationMeteoritical Bulletin Database Rabt Sbayta 008 References Korotev R. L. and Irving A. J. (2021) Lunar meteorites from northern Africa. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 206–240. |