Antarctic Meteorite Petrographic Description

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Sample Petrographic Description

Sample Number

QUE 94269

Newsletter

18,2

Location

Queen Alexandra Range

Field Number

8700

Dimensions (cm)

1.9 x 1.4 x 1.3

Weight (g)

3.15

Original Classification

Lunar-Anorth. Breccia

Pairing

QUE 93069; QUE 94269

Mineral Composition (%Fa & %Fs)

Ferrosilite (mol%): 22-39

Weathering

A/B

Fracturing

A/B

Macroscopic Description - Roberta Score

This lunar meteorite is identical to QUE93069 and would probably fit together if QUE93069 was still in one piece. One side of this flat stone has thick gray-green, frothy fusion crust. The other side has thin, weathered, dull green-brown fusion crust. A fractured surface reveals the interior matrix which is dark gray to black with abundant inclusions. The largest inclusion is white and measures 1.0 x 0.2 cm. The newly exposed interior surface has a lighter gray-colored matrix and abundant white and gray clasts. One white clast measures 0.4 x 0.2 cm. Other inclusions present include fine-grained, buff-colored clasts, several brecciated gray clasts, and smaller white clasts. Many clasts have weathered to a yellowish color. As in QUE93069, most of the clasts are small and friable and, unfortunately, are not extractable.

Thin Section Description (,5 ,7) - Brian Mason

The sections show a microbreccia of granular clasts, up to 1.5 mm across, and small plagioclase grains, in a translucent to semi-opaque brown glassy matrix; one grain of metallic iron, 0.3 mm across, was noted. Most of the plagioclase is almost pure anorthite (Na₂O 0.3-0.5%, K₂O less than 0.1%), with a few grains with higher Na₂O, up to 3.2%. QUE94269,7 has a 3 mm clast of subequal amounts of plagioclase and pyroxene; the plagioclase is anorthite (Na₂O 0.3-0.5%), the pyroxene ranges from Wo₅Fs₃₉ to Wo₃₄Fs₂₂ with fairly uniform En content. This specimen is a lunar meteorite, very similar to QUE93069 (Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter 17(2), 1994), with which it is certainly paired.

Antarctic Meteorite Images for Sample QUE 94269

Lab Photo(s) :

References for Sample QUE94269

Righter, K., Satterwhite, C.E., McBride, K.M., Corrigan, C.M., Welzenbach, L.C., 2015, Curation and Allocation of Samples in the U.S. Antarctic Meteorite Collection. In Righter, K., Corrigan, C.M., McCoy, T.J., and Harvey, R.P. Meteorites: A Pictorial Guide to the Collection, First Edition , AGU Wiley, , pp. 43-63 .

Korotev, R.L., and Zeigler, R.A., 2015, ANSMET Meteorites from the Moon. In Righter, K., Corrigan, C.M., McCoy, T.J., and Harvey, R.P. Meteorites: A Pictorial Guide to the Collection, First Edition , AGU Wiley, , pp. 101-130 .

Herzog, G.F., Caffee, M.W., and Jull, A.J.T., 2015, Cosmogenic Nuclides in Antarctic Meteorites. In Righter, K., Corrigan, C.M., McCoy, T.J., and Harvey, R.P. Meteorites: A Pictorial Guide to the Collection, First Edition , AGU Wiley, , pp. 153-172 .

Fritz, J., 2012, Impact ejection of lunar meteorites and the age of Giordano Bruno. , Icarus, 221 Issue 2 , November-December 2012 , 1183-1186 , ISSN 0019-1035 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2012.08.019 .

Wolf, S. F., Wang, M. S., Lipschutz, M. E., 2009, Labile trace elements in basaltic achondrites: Can they distinguish between meteorites from the Moon, Mars, and V-type asteroids?. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 44 , 891-903 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2009.tb00776.x .

Eugster, O., Herzog, G. F., Marti, K., Caffee, M.W., 2006, Irradiation Records, Cosmic-Ray Exposure Ages, and Transfer Times of Meteorites. In: Meteorites and the Early Solar System II, D. S. Lauretta and H. Y. McSween Jr. (eds.). , University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 943 , 829-851 .

Korotev R. L., 2005, Lunar geochemistry as told by lunar meteorites. , Chemie der Erde, 65 , 297-346 .

Warren, P. H., Ulff-Møller, F., Kallemeyn, G. W., 2005, "New" lunar meteorites: Impact melt and regolith breccias and large-scale heterogeneities of the upper lunar crust. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 40 , 989-1014 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2005.tb00169.x .

Warren, P. H., 2005, "New" lunar meteorites: Implications for composition of the global lunar surface, lunar crust, and the bulk Moon. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 40 , 477-506 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2005.tb00395.x .

Schultz, L., Franke, L., 2004, Helium, neon, and argon in meteorites: A data collection. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 39 , 1889-1890 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2004.tb00083.x .

Korotev, R. L., Jolliff, B. L., Zeigler, R. A., Gillis, J. J., Haskin, L. A., 2003, Feldspathic lunar meteorites and their implications for compositional remote sensing of the lunar surface and the composition of the lunar crust. , Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 67 , 4895-4923 .

Warren, P. H., 2001, Porosities of lunar meteorites: Strength, porosity, and petrologic screening during the meteorite delivery process. , Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 106 , 10101-10111 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2000JE001283 .

Benoit, P. H., Sears, D. W. G., Akridge, J. M. C., Bland, P. A., Berry, F. J., Pillinger, C. T., 2000, The non-trivial problem of meteorite pairing. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 35 , 393-417 .

Sears, D. W. G., Kral, T. A., 1998, Martian "microfossils" in lunar meteorites?. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 33 , 791-794 .

Polnau, E., Eugster, O., 1998, Cosmic-ray produced, radiogenic, and solar noble gases in lunar meteorites Queen Alexandra Range 94269 and 94281. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 33 , 313-319 .

Nishiizumi, K., Caffee, M. W., Jull, A. J. T., Reedy, R. C., 1996, Exposure history of lunar meteorites Queen Alexandra Range 93069 and 94269. , Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 31 , 893-896 .

Antarctic Meteorite Petrographic Description

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