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Northwest Africa 12279
Basic information Name: Northwest Africa 12279
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: NWA 12279
Observed fall: No
Year found: 2017
Country: Algeria
Mass:help 1830 g
Classification
  history:
Meteoritical Bulletin:  MB 107  (2018)  Lunar (feldsp. breccia)
Recommended:  Lunar (feldsp. breccia)    [explanation]

This is 1 of 334 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (feldsp. breccia).   [show all]
Search for other: Lunar meteorites
Comments: Approved 11 Dec 2018
Writeuphelp
Writeup from MB 107:

Northwest Africa 12279 (NWA 12279)

Tindouf, Algeria

Find: 2016 Oct 10

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: The meteorite was purchased in Denver USA by Zhouping Guo and Guobing Zhong on September, 2017 from Adam Aaronson.

Physical characteristics: A single bulk specimen, with sepia fresh fusion crust and low weathering degree. A large impact molten mass was observed in the specimen.

Petrography: This lunar meteorite comprises two petrographic areas: impact melt breccia and anorthosite. The anorthosite includes forsterite, pigeonite, low-Ca pyroxene, plagioclase and minor minerals such as ilmenite, chromite, quartz and other opaque minerals. It has a subophitic structure. The impact-melt breccia contains various types of lithic clasts (anorthosite, olivine-gabbro, gabbro), mineral and glassy fragments. The matrix consists of very fine-grained, cryptocrystalline (~0.1mm) and vitric particles with sporadic small vesicles.

Geochemistry (JK. Zhou, HY. Chen, ZP. Xia GUT): Olivine, Fa12.8-46.3Fo53.8-87.3, FeO/MnO=66.3-96.9 (n=29); Orthopyroxene, Fs15.5-32.2Wo2.98-4.22En64.9-80.3, Fe/Mn(mol)=54.5-69.3 (n=3); Pigeonite: Fs23.2-53.1Wo7.19-23.7En39.8-57.4, Fe/Mn(mol)=51.1-61.7 (n=6); Augite, Fs8.42-44.4Wo31.4-44.1En18.7-47.5, Fe/Mn(mol)=37.1-53.9 (n=14); Plagioclase: An92.9-98.5Or0.06-0.69 (n=15); Spinel: MgO, 20.1%-23.6%; Al2O3, 59.5%-69.2%; Cr2O3, 3.91%-6.00%; FeO,6.05%-7.46%.

Classification: Lunar (anorthositic impact-melt breccia)

Specimens: 30.2 g including one polished thin section are deposited in GUT; Remaining material with Guobing Zhong and Zhouping Guo.

Data from:
  MB107
  Table 0
  Line 0:
State/Prov/County:Tindouf
Origin or pseudonym:Tindouf Hamada in the Western Sahara
Place of purchase:Denver, USA
Date:2016 Oct 10
Mass (g):1830
Pieces:1
Class:Lunar (feldsp. breccia)
Classifier:H. Chen, J. Zhou, Z.Xia, GUT
Type spec mass (g):37.9
Type spec location:GUT
Main mass:Guobing Zhong
Comments:Submitted by Bingkui Miao
Institutions
   and collections
GUT: College of Earth Sciences, Guilin University of Technology, 12 Jiangan Road, Guilin 541004, China (institutional address; updated 18 Oct 2012)
Aaronson: Sahara Overland Ltd., Harhora, Temara, 12000, Morocco (private address; updated 3 Jan 2010)
Catalogs:
References: Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 107, MAPS 55, 460-462
Find references in NASA ADS:
Find references in Google Scholar:
Photos:
CreditPhotos
Public domain photographs:
Zhipeng Xia      
Geography:

Algeria
Coordinates:Unknown.

Statistics:
     This is 1 of 58 approved meteorites from Tindouf, Algeria (plus 1 impact crater)
     This is 1 of 1336 approved meteorites from Algeria (plus 30 unapproved names) (plus 4 impact craters)
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Revision
  history:
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