Lunar Meteorite: Tifariti 002

Two sides (polished, left; unpolished, right) of a 4.5-g slice of Tifariti 002. Image credit: Matthew Stream
Three small slices of Tifariti 002. Photo credit The Meteorite Exchange

Meteorite Picture of the Day: Tifariti 002

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 111

Tifariti 002

Western Sahara
Purchased: 2022 April
Mass: 5800 g (many pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Found near Bir Tiguisit, southern Morocco. Some of this material was purchased by Ziyao Wang in April 2022 from a dealer in Laayoune, Morocco.

Physical Characteristics: One large (3.4 kg) dark gray stone lacking fusion crust plus many smaller fragments (total 2.4 kg).

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, subcalcic augite and augite in a fine grained matrix containing ilmenite, Ti-chromite, baddeleyite, troilite, kamacite and taenite, plus minor secondary Fe oxides and barite.

Geochemistry: Anorthite (An97.2-97.6Or0.1-0.0, N = 3), olivine (Fa19.6-57.9, FeO/MnO = 81-92, N = 4), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs20.9-32.6Wo3.3-2.7, FeO/MnO = 52-63, N = 3), subcalcic augite (Fs41.6Wo20.9, FeO/MnO = 54), augite (Fs11.1-13.5Wo40.0-44.7, FeO/MnO = 38-45, N = 2).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: 21.4 g including a polished endcut at UWB; 192 g with WangZ; remainder including the 3.4 kg main mass with Mr. S. Ben Badi.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Tifariti 002.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

Tifiriti 002

Lunar Meteorites
List – ABC123 Order
List – Al2O3 Order