Star Hunter Meteorites
NWA 15629 Mingled Feldspathic Basalt Breccia 14.5g Slice
NWA 15629 Mingled Feldspathic Basalt Breccia 14.5g Slice
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This is a very unique and highly sought after lunar. Meet NWA 15629. This particular lunar is valued by both collectors and scientists who study it due to its complexity. This "mingled" breccia is composed primarily of feldspathic material, along with significant mare basaltic components. Most lunar meteorites are dominated by either highlands (feldspathic) material or mare basalts. It is extremely rare to have both in one stone. This "mingling" provides direct evidence of large-scale impact processes on the Moon, where deep-seated mare materials were excavated and mixed with highland (feldspathic) crust. These processes are critical to understanding lunar evolution, crustal mixing, and the history of major impact events.
Name: Northwest Africa 15629 This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: NWA 15629
Observed fall: No
Year found: 2022
Country: (Northwest Africa)
Mass: 3.4 kg
Classification history:
Meteoritical Bulletin, MB 113 (2025): Lunar
Recommended: Lunar
This is 1 of 119 approved meteorites classified as Lunar.
Search for other: Lunar meteorites
Comments:
Approved 21 Mar 2024
Writeup
Writeup from MB 113:
Northwest Africa 15629 (NWA 15629)
(Northwest Africa)
Purchased: 2022
Classification: Lunar meteorite
History: Purchased by Mark Lyon in 2022 from an Algerian dealer.
Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) The specimen is a complex, highly shocked breccia containing mostly feldspathic material (both as lithic clasts and disaggregated debris) but also some mare basaltic material, as well as discrete melt-matrix breccia clasts and glassy clasts with spherulitic quenchiform textures. All constituent plagioclase in the specimen has been converted to maskelynite, and olivine grains exhibit orange colors in thin section. Lithic clasts with intergranular to microgabbroic textures composed of anorthite, pigeonite and olivine, as well as relatively sodic plagioclase (bytownite) mineral clasts, are present and have the attributes of mare basalt lithologies. Accessory phases include kamacite, taenite, troilite, ilmenite, baddeleyite, merrillite and Cr-pleonaste. Some olivine has been altered to chlorite-like phyllosilicates (with low oxide sums and elevated FeO/MnO ratios). Minor secondary barite and calcite veinlets are also present.
Classification: Lunar (mingled feldspathic/basaltic breccia, maskelynite-bearing).
Specimens: 22.3 g including one polished thin section and a large, polished slice at UWB.
