NWA 13739 (0,232 g)

Northwest Africa 13739 (NWA 13739)
Tindouf, Algeria
Purchased: 2020
Classification: Lunar meteorite
History: Many fragments weighing a total of 712 g were found near Tindouf, Algeria, by locals. Carlos Muñecas (Expometeoritos) and Adrian Contreras purchased these samples from a dealer in Tindouf in November 2020.
Physical characteristics: Samples are irregularly shaped and lack fusion crust. Most samples are covered with a coating of caliche that also occurs within the interior of the samples in fractures. The interior is a dark-colored, fine-grained breccia.
Petrography: Description and classification (A. Love, App) Sample is a complex breccia composed of fine-grained (250 µm avg.) lithic and olivine, low- and high-Ca pyroxene, pigeonite and mineral fragments: gabbroic clasts, brecciated feldspathic clasts, FeNi metal and rare symplectites composed of fayalitic olivine and silica. This assemblage is crosscut by a several generations of crosscutting melt veins. Additional Minerals are sulfides, chromite, ilmenite, rare phosphates and secondary calcite.
Geochemistry: Microgabbro: olivine (Fa30.0±8.9, Fe/Mn=80.4±10.2, n=12); low Ca pyroxene (Fs24.7±2.1Wo4.1±0.6, Fe/Mn=55.6±6.5, n=5); Mineral fragments: pigeonite (Fs30.9±6.2Wo12.0±5.0, Fe/Mn=52.9±4.2, n=15); high Ca pyroxene (Fs43.6±16.2Wo27.4±4.8, Fe/Mn=56.7±7.6, n=6); plagioclase (An96.8±0.9Or0.1±0.1, n=15).
Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia) Based on textures and mineral compositions, this sample is a lunar feldspathic breccia.
Specimens: Carlos Muñecas (Expometeoritos) holds the 228 g main mass and Adrian Contreras and Carlos Muñecas jointly hold the remaining 484 g. Eleven small fragments weighing a total of 23.47 g and a polished thin section are on deposit at App.