Northwest Africa 14035 (NWA 14035)

(Northwest Africa)

Purchased: 2020

Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: The meteorite was purchased from a group of meteorites hunters in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, in late 2020 by Salamu Ali and later acquired by Andreas Schefzig.

Physical characteristics: Dark grayish rock without fusion crust.

Petrography: The meteorite is a polymict feldspathic breccia composed of up to 7-mm sized lithic clasts (gabbroic, fine-grained basaltic, impact melt) and mineral fragments set in a fine-grained clastic and partly shock-melted matrix. Main minerals are olivine of highly variable composition, low-Ca pyroxene, augite, and calcic plagioclase. Minor phases include silica, fayalitic olivine, chromite, ilmenite, and FeS. No metal has been detected. Contains secondary calcite and barite.

Geochemistry: olivine: Fa_29.7±6.9 (Fa_22.3-40.3, FeO/MnO=87±6, n=24); ferroan olivine: Fa_75.0±0.1, FeO/MnO=94±3, n=3); low-Ca pyroxene: Fs_19.4±0.2Wo_4.3±0.2 (Fs_18.6-19.8Wo_4.0-4.6, FeO/MnO=51±5, n=15); ferroan Ca-pyroxene: Fs_36.4±4.4Wo_27.8±1.8 (Fs_30.8-42.7Wo_25.0-30.6, FeO/MnO=50±4, n=5, ); augite: Fs_9.7±0.2Wo_42.3±0.4 (Fs_9.5-10.0Wo_41.6-43.0, FeO/MnO=38±5, n=8); calcic plagioclase: An_96.3±0.3 (An_95.8-96.9, n=12)