Lunar Meteorite: Touat 004
| from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 109 Touat 004Adrar, Algeria Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) History: The sample was purchased in July 2020 via Internet contact as a single piece of 345 g. Based on the information of the Moroccan dealer the rock was found in the Adrar region, Algeria, in March 2019. Physical characteristics: The piece has a rough grayish appearance with no obvious fusion crust. Saw cuts reveal a breccia with numerous angular dark clasts. The rock appears to be a relative fine-grained breccia compared to many other lunar breccias. Most obvious are dark clasts up to ~5 mm in size and white veins and areas often including brownish components. Petrography: (A. Bischoff and K. Klemm, IfP). Optical studies of a thin section show that it is a breccia of different clasts embedded in a fine-grained matrix. The most abundant lithology is a feldspar-rich granulitic breccia. Overall the rock appears to be a well-recrystallized rock. The lithic clasts primarily consist of highland components dominated by anorthositic lithologies. Plagioclase transformed into maskelynite and glassy areas are less common compared to their abundances in many other lunar breccias. The breccia contains large areas and veins of secondary terrestrial alteration materials (mostly carbonates) often including red-brownish mineral aggregates. Geochemistry: (A. Bischoff and K. Klemm, IfP) Mineral compositions: Olivine Fa35.9±2.1, range Fa32-39, Fe/Mn=109, n=7; low-Ca pyroxene Fs22.8±2.0Wo8.0±3.4 Fe/Mn=55, n=13; plagioclase: An95.4±1.4, n=16 Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia) Specimens: Decker Meteorite Museum |
| Randy Says… I have not studied Touat 004. This may be a new meteorite. Because of the differences in find/purchase dates and the reported find locations are 89 km apart, it is probably not paired with Touat 005. |
More InformationMeteoritical Bulletin Database Touat 004 |