Lunar meteorite NEA 001

This endcut specimen weighs 52.3 grams.  The cut face measures 66.0x50.0 mm.  The thickness of the enduct from face to back is 13.7 mm.

A brownish gray stone weighing 262 g was found by a prospector in northern Sudan near the Libya/Egypt/Sudan boundary in 2002 April.  Fusion crust is absent, fresh surface is gray to dark gray, and terrestrial alteration products are present at the meteorite edges and in penetrating cracks and veins.  Classification and mineralogy (J. Haloda and P. Týcová, PCU): a clast-rich anorthositic regolith breccia containing numerous mineral fragments and lithic clasts embedded in a well-consolidated microcrystalline impact melt matrix. Lithic clasts (up to 1 cm in size) are mainly of anorthositic lithologies; impact-melt breccias of anorthositic composition are abundant and show commonly breccia-in-breccia textures.  Fragments of primary igneous rocks of anorthositic to gabbroic composition are common, containing plagioclase An95.1-97.2, low-Ca pyroxene En46-65 Wo2.1-5 and high-Ca pyroxene En35-48Wo37-44 and rare olivine Fo79.4.  Sparse clasts of mare basalts (consisting of pigeonite+anorthite+accessory ilmenite), and glass fragments and spherules are present.  Mineral fragments are of various composition: feldspar, An92-99; orthopyroxene, Wo2-4En49-80; clinopyroxene, Wo9-39En50-87; olivine, Fo48-82 (Fe/Mn 93-100 atom%); accessory minerals are Mg-Al spinel, chromite, ilmenite (2-5 wt% MgO), troilite, FeNi metal and silica.  Several pyroxene grains have marginal symplectitic intergrowths of fayalite+hedenbergite+silica after former pyroxferroite.  Composition of the impact-melt matrix is (wt%): SiO2 = 45.7, Al2O3 = 24.1, FeO = 7.2, MgO = 7.4, CaO = 14.6, Na2O = 0.5, TiO2 = 0.5.  Secondary calcite, barite, gypsum and Fe hydroxides occur in cracks.

Scientific abstracts and news regarding NEA 001:

Snape J. F., Joy K. H., and Crawford I. A.

(2011) Characterization of multiple lithologies within the lunar feldspathic regolith breccia meteorite Northeast Africa 001. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 46, 1288-1312.

Rochette P., Gattacceca J., Ivanov A. V., Nazarov M. A., and Bezaeva N. S.

(2010) Magnetic properties of lunar materials: Meteorites, Luna and Apollo returned samples. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.02.007.

Snape J. F., Joy K. H., and Crawford I. A.

(2009) A trace-element investigation of lunar meteorite Northeast Africa 001 (abstract). In Lunar and Planetary Science XL, abstract no. 1539, 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2009/pdf/1539.pdf

Snape J. F., Joy K. H., Crawford I. A., and Beard A. D.

(2008) A petrographic study of lunar meteorite Northeast Africa 001 (abstract). In Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIX, abstract no. 1316, 39th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/1316.pdf

Korotev R. L.

(2008) Using composition to assess pairing relationships among lunaites. Goldschmidt Conference Abstracts 2008, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 72, 12S, p. A492. http://goldschmidt.info/2008/abstracts/finalPDFs/A492.pdf

Haloda J., Irving A. J., and Týcová P.

(2005) Lunar meteorite Northeast Africa 001: An anorthositic regolith breccia with mixed highland/mare components (abstract). In Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, no. 1487, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2005/pdf/1487.pdf

Korotev R. L.

(2005) Lunar geochemistry as told by lunar meteorites. Chemie der Erde 65, 297–346. http://epsc.wustl.edu/%7Erlk/papers/korotev_2005_chemie_der_erde.pdf

Korotev R. L and Irving A. J.

(2005) Compositions of three lunar meteorites: Meteorite Hills 01210, Northeast Africa 001, and Northwest Africa 3136 (abstract). In Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, abstract no. 1220, 36th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2005/pdf/1220.pdf

Country Sudan
Locality near the Libya/Egypt/Sudan boundary
Dimensions 6,6x5,0x1,3 cm
Weight 52.3g