Lunar Meteorite: Swayyah 003

Main mass (181 g) of Swayyah 003. Photo credit: Heritage Auctions
Two saw cuts on Swayyah 003. Photo credit: Heritage Auctions
from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 110

Swayyah 003

Western Sahara
Find: 2020 February
Mass: 208 g (1 piece)

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Found in southern Morocco in February 2020 and purchased from the finder in Tindouf, Algeria, in March 2020. David Lehman is the American agent for the owners.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, pigeonite and augite together with some lithic clasts (including basalt composed mainly of subparallel-intergrown lath-like plagioclase and acicular clinopyroxene) and glass fragments in a finer grained matrix. Accessory phases include ilmenite, baddeleyite, troilite, zirconolite and minor secondary barite.

Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa17.1-37.1, FeO/MnO = 85-101, N = 5), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs7.6-38.6Wo3.3-4.8, FeO/MnO = 48-63, N = 5), pigeonite (Fs33.7-44.5Wo9.5-12.6, FeO/MnO = 54-62, N = 2), augite (Fs12.9-18.4Wo39.9-43.5, FeO/MnO = 43-49, N = 2), anorthite (An93.8-95.3Or0.3, N = 2).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens:  21.8 g including a polished mount at UWB; remainder with Mr. D. Lehman.

Randy Says…

I have not studied NWA 13637. It is not paired with Swayyah 001/004, a gabbro.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Swayyah 003

Lunar Meteorites
List – ABC123 Order
List – Al2O3 Order