Description
Northwest Africa 11273 (NWA 11273)
(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: 2017 Apr
Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)
History: Material excavated from a site near Tindouf, Algeria was purchased by a consortium of collectors (Rob Wesel, Eric Twelker and Jason Phillips) in April 2017 from Moroccan dealers.
Petrography: (A. Irving and S. Kuehner, UWS) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, exsolved pigeonite, pigeonite, augite, chromite, Ti-Cr-Fe spinel, kamacite, taenite and troilite in a finer grained matrix containing small vesicles and minor barite. Rare basalt clasts and glass fragments are also present.
Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa8.7-59.7, FeO/MnO = 89-111, N = 4), pigeonite (Fs28.8Wo11.2, FeO/MnO = 56), clinopyroxene host (Fs15.3Wo40.9, FeO/MnO = 44), orthopyroxene exsolution lamella (Fs34.0Wo2.7, FeO/MnO = 56), augite (Fs16.8Wo41.7, FeO/MnO = 62), plagioclase (An95.9-96.5Or0.2, N = 2).
Classification: Lunar (feldspathic regolith breccia).
Specimens: 37 g including one polished slice at UWB; remaining pieces shared by Mr. R. Wesel, Mr. E. Twelker and Mr. J. Phillips.
