from The
Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 94, September 2008. Meteoritics & Planetary
Science 43, 1551–1588 (2008).
Northwest Africa 5153
Morocco
Find: 2007
Achondrite (lunar, feldspathic breccia)
History and physical characteristics: A 50.4
g nearly complete stone was purchased in Erfoud,
Morocco in January 2008. The aeolian-modified fusion crust
is dark gray to reddish-brown.
Petrography (T. Bunch and J. Wittke, NAU; Dolores
Hill, UA): Fragmental to melt-matrix breccia
that
contains an assortment of lunar highland lithologies
and Mare basalts and glasses. Highland components
analyzed by microprobe include cataclastic gabbro,
troctolite, fragments of granophyric intergrowths
of K-feldspar,
felsic glasses and silica. Mare components
include ophitic pigeonite and olivine basalts.
Interior
is very fresh and lacks alteration veins.
Mineral/phase compositions: Gabbro olivine is
Fa31.7
(FeO/MnO = 99) and pigeonite is Fs25.7Wo9.3
(FeO/MnO = 53). Troctolite olivine is Fa22.3
(FeO/MnO = 80), Ca-pyroxene is Fs22.1Wo17, chromite
Cr/(Cr+Al) = 0.63, and granophyric K-feldspar
is
An14.5Or54.3 with BaO = 2.6 wt %. Mare ophitic
pigeonite basalt olivine is Fa36.7 (FeO/MnO =
106),
pigeonite is Fs7.1Wo13.3 (FeO/MnO = 65) and ilmenite
MgO = 5.2 wt %. Olivine basalt olivine is Fa36.2
(FeO/MnO = 94) and Ca-poor pyroxene is Fs32.1Wo13.3
(FeO/MnO =62).
Bulk chemistry: (R. Korotev, WUSL): Na2O = 0.476
wt %; Sc = 25.6 ppm; Cr = 1963 ppm; FeO = 12.72
wt %; Ni = 150 ppm; Co = 42.4 ppm and Sr = 132 ppm.
Classification: Achondrite (lunar feldspathic
breccia).
Type specimen: 5 g and one thin section are on deposit at NAU and one thin section and 0.3 g are on
deposit at UA. D. Pitt holds the main mass. |
More Information
Meteoritical Bulletin Database
NWA
5153
References
Korotev R. L., Zeigler R. A., Irving A.
J., and Bunch T. E. (2009) Keeping
up with the Lunar Meteorites — 2009 (abstract).
In Lunar and Planetary Science XL, abstract no.
1137, 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston.
Korotev R. L, Zeigler R. A., Jolliff B.
L., Irving A. J., and Bunch T. E. (2009) Compositional
and lithological diversity among brecciated lunar meteorites
of intermediate iron composition. Meteoritics & Planetary
Science 44, 1287–1322.
Chemical Classification
Overview | NWA
5153
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