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Northwest Africa 12980
Basic information Name: Northwest Africa 12980
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: NWA 12980
Observed fall: No
Year found: 2019
Country: Mauritania
Mass:help 1300 g
Classification
  history:
Meteoritical Bulletin:  MB 108  (2020)  Lunar (melt breccia)
Recommended:  Lunar (melt breccia)    [explanation]

This is 1 of 20 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (melt breccia).   [show all]
Search for other: Lunar meteorites
Comments: Approved 23 Dec 2019
Revised 8 Jan 2019: corrected mass
Writeuphelp
Writeup from MB 108:

Northwest Africa 12980 (NWA 12980)

Mauritania

Find: 2018 Nov

Classification: Lunar impact melt breccia

History: A single weathered stone lacking a fusion crust was found by nomads in Mauritania in November 2018 and purchased by Graham Ensor in Morocco in June 2019.

Physical characteristics: Dark gray/brown sandblasted exterior, with many irregularly shaped fragments set in a glassy impact melt groundmass. No fusion crust.

Petrography: (T. S. Hayden, M. Anand, OU). The meteorite is a clast rich impact melt breccia containing numerous mineral and lithic fragments embedded in a glassy partially recrystallised impact melt matrix. The lithic clast populations consists primarily of highlands clasts, dominated by anorthitic plagioclase and Ca-rich pyroxene, with olivine components. The size range of the lithic clasts is 0.11-1.73 mm. Mineral clasts are mainly pyroxene, olivine, plagioclase and spinel group phases.

Geochemistry: Mineral Composition and Geochemistry: (T. S. Hayden, M. Anand, OU) Feldspar (An96.8±0.6Ab3.0±0.59, N = 93), Pigeonite (Fs31.0±7.4Wo9.4±2.9, Fe/Mn = 54.5±5.2, N=29), Augite (Fs18.9±9.3Wo36.5±6.3, Fe/Mn = 48.1±6.6, N=27), Clinoenstatite (Fs22.3±6.7Wo4.3±0.5, Fe/Mn = 56.6±3.3, N=8), Olivine (Fa34.8±10.2, Fe/Mn = 95.7±13.6, N=120). O isotopes (measured at OU): δ17O = 3.294‰, δ18O = 6.289‰, Δ17O = -0.001‰ (linearized using a slope of 0.5247 [Miller 2002 GCA 66(11)]).

Classification: Lunar impact melt breccia

Specimens: Specimen: 20.3g held at OU. Graham Ensor holds the main mass (1.3 kg).

Data from:
  MB108
  Table 0
  Line 0:
Place of purchase:Morocco
Date:2018 Nov
Mass (g):1300
Pieces:1
Class:Lunar impact melt breccia
Fayalite (mol%):34.8±10.2 (N=120)
Ferrosilite (mol%):24.8±9.9 (N=64)
Wollastonite (mol%):20.2±14.8 (N=64)
Classifier:T. S. Hayden, M. Anand, R. C. Greenwood, OU
Type spec mass (g):20.3
Type spec location:OU
Main mass:Graham Ensor
Finder:Nomads, Morocco
Comments:Field name prior to submission: GEL-1; submitted by T. S. Hayden (OU)
Plots: O isotopes:  
Institutions
   and collections		 OU: Planetary and Space Sciences Department of Physical Sciences The Open University Walton Hall Milton Keynes MK7 6AA United Kingdom, United Kingdom (institutional address; updated 8 Dec 2011)
Catalogs:
References: Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 108 (2020) Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 55, 1146-1150
Find references in NASA ADS:
Find references in Google Scholar:
Geography:

Mauritania
Coordinates:Unknown.

Statistics:
     This is 1 of 202 approved meteorites from Mauritania (plus 2 unapproved names) (plus 2 impact craters)

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