Northwest Africa 10901 (NWA 10901)

(Northwest Africa)

Purchased: 2015

Classification: Lunar meteorite

History: Purchased in 2015 by Brahim Tahiri in Morocco and sent to his partner Sean Tutorow for analysis.

Physical characteristics: Single stone, irregular exterior, no fusion crust. A saw cut reveals light-gray feldspathic clasts (up to 2 cm) and some smaller fragmental white plagioclase grains set in a dark-gray groundmass.

Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) This is a polymict feldspathic breccia showing several different textural domains: 1) large (centimeter-sized) poikilitic plagioclase with olivine and pyroxene inclusions, 2) zones of fragmental plagioclase, olivine, and pyroxene, 3) cataclastic zones of fine-grained silicates, 4) vesicular shock melt veins and pockets. Iron metal detected, the largest grain observed was ~150 μm in diameter.

Geochemistry: (C. Agee and M. Spilde, UNM) Olivine Fa_42.0±13.4, Fe/Mn=98±7, n=6; pigeonite Fs_54.7±9.1Wo_7.0±2.3, Fe/Mn=63±3, n=5; augite Fs_28.7Wo_40.3, Fe/Mn=56, n=1; plagioclase An_96.6±0.4, n=4; Shock melt (proxy for bulk meteorite composition): SiO₂=44.7, TiO₂=0.37, Al₂O₃=24.1, Cr₂O₃=0.16, MgO=7.2, FeO=7.2, MnO=0.10, CaO=14.7, NiO=b.d.l., Na₂O=0.31, K₂O=0.02 (all wt%), n=1.

Classification: Lunar meteorite. Intermediate breccia based on FeO and Al₂O₃ content.

Specimens: 13.76 g including a probe mount on deposit at UNM, Sean Tutorow holds the main mass.