NWA 15169 Lunaire #16 – 5 g

Northwest Africa 15169 (NWA 15169)

Morocco

Purchased: 2021

Classification: Lunar meteorite (anorth)

History: Found by Omar Ben Chaoud and Mouloud Oudinat in the Dakhla, Wad Oum Sfia area. Later bought by Jean Redelsperger from Mohamed Elguirah in 2021.

Physical characteristics: Several stones: a complete 50 g crusted stone, and several gray fragments without fusion crust, the largest one being 52 g.

Petrography: (J. Gattacceca, B. Devouard, CEREGE) Brecciated igneous rock composed primarily of anorthitic plagioclase, and mm-sized poikilitic microgabbroic clasts with plagioclase chadacrysts set in olivine and pyroxene. Accessory minerals: metal, ulvöspinel, chromite. Barite, from terrestrial weathering, is present as veins.

Geochemistry: Plagioclase An_93.4±2.7Ab_6.3±2.5Or_0.2±0.2 (n=4). Olivine (altered) Fo _43.5±5.9, FeO/MnO=143.4, analytical totals 90.9±2.2 (n=9). Orthopyroxene Fs_26.0Wo_9.0, Fs_16.3Wo_36.9, FeO/MnO = 50.8 (n=2). Chromite Cr#=0.73 (n=1).

Classification: Lunar (anorthosite). Contains microgabbroic clasts. Olivine, pigeonite and plagioclase are within the ferroan anorthositic suite (FAS) field defined by Warren (1993). Olivine has been altered on Earth, as indicated by the low analytical totals.

Specimens: Type specimen at CEREGE. Main mass with Jean Redelsperger.