El Hareicha 001 (EH 001)        21°28’22.7’’ N, 06°03’38.3’’ W

Gao, Mali

Purchased: 2022 Mar

Classification: Lunar meteorite (basalt/gabbroic breccia)

History: The individual was found by meteorite hunters in northern Mali close to the border to Mauritania and subsequently purchased by the main mass holder from a Morrocan dealer.

Physical characteristics: Grayish rock without fusion crust.

Petrography: The meteorite displays a light grayish interior and is a polymict breccia predominantly composed of up to 7 mm sized basaltic and gabbroic clasts as well as mineral fragments set in a fine-grained partly shock melted matrix. Dominant minerals are olivine, esxolved pyroxene, zoned pyroxene, pigeonite, augite, and calcic plagioclase. Minor phases include ferroan pigeonite, fayalite, ilmenite, and FeS. Contains secondary barite and calcite filled veins.

Geochemistry: olivine: Fa_30.4±0.4 (Fa_29.7-30.7, FeO/MnO=93±8, n=7); low-Ca pyroxene host to augite exsolution lamellae: Fs_50.8±0.2Wo_2.5±0.1 (Fs_50.5-51.1Wo_2.4-2.6, FeO/MnO=65±3, n=4); augite exsolution lamellae: Fs_23.4±0.2Wo_40.4±0.1 (Fs_23.2-23.6Wo_40.2-40.5, FeO/MnO=66±3, n=4); augite: Fs_9.1±0.2Wo_44.0±0.5 (Fs_8.8-9.3Wo_43.1-44.6, FeO/MnO=32±3, n=7); subcalcic augite: Fs_37.2±1.4Wo_25.7±0.8 (Fs_36.4-40.7Wo_23.8-26.1, FeO/MnO=75±5, n=7); ferroan pigeonite: Fs_84.5±2.5Wo_12.9±2.1 (Fs_80.0-86.7Wo_10.8-16.8, FeO/MnO=88±4, n=5); zoned pyroxene: Fs_36.4±11.3Wo_22.1±8.4 (Fs_23.9-52.8Wo_5.5-28.6, FeO/MnO=75±10, n=7); calcic plagioclase: An_96.2±0.5 (An_95.5-97.0, n=10)

Classification: Lunar polymict breccia