Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa (NWA) 6481

Morocco



NWA 6481 in the field.
(photo courtesy of Stefan Ralew)


  
Sawn face of NWA 6481
(photo courtesy of Stefan Ralew)


NWA 6481 in the lab.
(photo by Randy Korotev)



Compositionally similar to NWA 6721 but different in detail.
  
 

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 99.

Northwest Africa 6481

Morocco
Find: August, 2010

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Found on Hamada du Drâa, Morocco, in August 2010 and purchased by Stefan Ralew in November 2010 from a dealer in Ouarzazate, Morocco.

Physical characteristics: A small dark gray stone (13.7 g) lacking fusion crust and containing small white clasts.

Petrography: A fine grained fragmental breccia composed of mineral clasts, sparse lithic clasts (some with ophitic textures) and rare glass fragments. Mineral clasts include anorthitic plagioclase, subcalcic augite, augite, hedenbergite, pigeonite (some exsolved), olivine, ilmenite, kamacite and troilite.

Geochemistry: Pigeonite (Fs25.8-40.0Wo13.7-12.3, FeO/MnO = 54-63), subcalcic augite (Fs23.7Wo29.1, FeO/MnO = 51), augite (Fs16.3Wo43.2, FeO/MnO = 90), olivine (Fa32.6-33.1, FeO/MnO = 88-89), plagioclase (An95.1-96.5Or0.1). Bulk composition (R. Korotev, WUSL): FeO 4.7 wt%, La 3.5 ppm, Sm 1.6 ppm, Yb 1.32 ppm, Th 0.60 ppm.

Classification: Achondrite (lunar, feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: A total of 2.8 g is on deposit at UWS. The main mass is held by Ralew.
 


More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 6481

References

Korotev R. L., Irving A. J., and Bunch T. E. (2012) Keeping Up With the Lunar Meteorites — 2012 (abstract). In Lunar and Planetary Science XLIII, abstract no. 1152, 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston.

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Prepared by:

Randy L. Korotev

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Washington University in St. Louis

Please don't contact me about the meteorite you think you've found until you read this and this.

e-mail: korotev@wustl.edu

Last revised: 04-Jan-2013