from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 114

Northwest Africa 17497 (NWA 17497)

Western Sahara
Find: 2024
Mass: 976 g (2 pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: The meteorites were found in the desert.

Physical Characteristics: Two rocks, lacking fusion crust, desert varnished.

Petrography: (J. Garcia, ADARA) Thin section shows a brecciated textured rock, mainly composed of feldspathic clasts and a wide diversity of minerals including olivine, orthopyroxene, pigeonite, augite, spinel and anorthite. Opaques are ilmenite and chromite. All of them are set into a partially melted, microvesicular matrix. Vesicles are sometimes filled with secondary calcite.

Geochemistry: Olivine Fa_31.3±0.2 FeO/MnO = 91 ± 4 (n=10); Orthopyroxene Fs_32.2Wo_3.5 FeO/MnO = 57 (n=1); Pigeonite Fs_35.3±2.2Wo_7.9±2.8 FeO/MnO = 53±3 (n=5); Augite Fs_19.5±0.5Wo_39.4±0.3 FeO/MnO = 53-54 (n=2); Plagioclase An_97.3±0.3 (n=12).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: Type specimen in MUNA. Two thin sections in ADARA. The remaining mass with Mitchell Wright.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 17497.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA17497