Petrography,mineralogy, and geochemistry of lunar meteorite Sayh al Uhaymir 300

Abstract— We report here the petrography, mineralogy, and geochemistry of lunar meteorite Sayh al Uhaymir 300 (SaU 300). SaU 300 is dominated by a fine‐grained crystalline matrix surrounding mineral fragments (plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, and ilmenite) and lithic clasts (mainly feldspathic to noritic). Mare basalt and KREEPy rocks are absent. Glass melt veins and impact melts are present, indicating that the rock has been subjected to a second impact event. FeNi metal and troilite grains were observed in the matrix. Major element concentrations of SaU 300 (Al₂O₃ 21.6 wt% and FeO 8.16 wt%) are very similar to those of two basalt‐bearing feldspathic regolith breccias: Calcalong Creek and Yamato (Y‐) 983885. However, the rare earth element (REE) abundances and pattern of SaU 300 resemble the patterns of feldspathic highlands meteorites (e.g., Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 93069 and Dar al Gani (DaG) 400), and the average lunar highlands crust. It has a relatively LREE‐enriched (7 to 10 x CI) pattern with a positive Eu anomaly (?11 x CI). Values of Fe/Mn ratios of olivine, pyroxene, and the bulk sample are essentially consistent with a lunar origin. SaU 300 also contains high siderophile abundances with a chondritic Ni/Ir ratio. SaU 300 has experienced moderate terrestrial weathering as its bulk Sr concentration is elevated compared to other lunar meteorites and Apollo and Luna samples. Mineral chemistry and trace element abundances of SaU 300 fall within the ranges of lunar feldspathic meteorites and FAN rocks. SaU 300 is a feldspathic impact‐melt breccia predominantly composed of feldspathic highlands rocks with a small amount of mafic component. With a bulk Mg# of 0.67, it is the most mafic of the feldspathic meteorites and represents a lunar surface composition distinct from any other known lunar meteorites. On the basis of its low Th concentration (0.46 ppm) and its lack of KREEPy and mare basaltic components, the source region of SaU 300 could have been within a highland terrain, a great distance from the Imbrium impact basin, probably on the far side of the Moon.     

Lunar meteorite regolith breccias: An in situ study of impact melt composition using LA‐ICP‐MS with implications for the composition of the lunar crust

Dar al Gani (DaG) 400, Meteorite Hills (MET) 01210, Pecora Escarpment (PCA) 02007, and MacAlpine Hills (MAC) 88104/88105 are lunar regolith breccia meteorites that provide sampling of the lunar surface from regions of the Moon that were not visited by the US Apollo or Soviet Luna sample return missions. They contain a heterogeneous clast population from a range of typical lunar lithologies. DaG 400, PCA 02007, and MAC 88104/88105 are primarily feldspathic in nature, and MET 01210 is composed of mare basalt material mixed with a lesser amount of feldspathic material. Here we present a compositional study of the impact melt and impact melt breccia clast population (i.e., clasts that were generated in impact cratering melting processes) within these meteorites using in situ electron microprobe and LA‐ICP‐MS techniques. Results show that all of the meteorites are dominated by impact lithologies that are relatively ferroan (Mg#_<70), have high Sc/Sm ratios (typically >10), and have low incompatible trace element (ITE) concentrations (i.e., typically <3.2 ppm Sm, <1.5 ppm Th). Feldspathic impact melt in DaG 400, PCA 02007, and MAC 88104/05 are similar in composition to that estimated composition for upper feldspathic lunar crust ( Korotev et al. 2003 ). However, these melt types are more mafic (i.e., less Eu, less Sr, more Sc) than feldspathic impact melts returned by the Apollo 16 mission (e.g., the group 3 and 4 varieties). Mafic impact melt clasts are common in MET 01210 and less common in PCA 02007 and MAC 88104/05. We show that unlike the Apollo mafic impact melt groups ( Jolliff 1998 ), these meteorite impact melts were not formed from melting large amounts of KREEP‐rich (typically >10 ppm Sm), High Magnesium Suite (typically >70 Mg#) or High Alkali Suite (high ITEs, Sc/Sm ratios <2) target rocks. Instead the meteorite mafic melts are more ferroan, KREEP‐poor and Sc‐rich, and represent mixing between feldspathic lithologies and low‐Ti or very low‐Ti (VLT) basalts. As PCA 02007 and MAC 88104/05 were likely sourced from the Outer‐Feldspathic Highlands Terrane our findings suggest that these predominantly feldspathic regions commonly contain a VLT to low‐Ti basalt contribution.     

Lunar meteorites from Oman

Abstract– Sixty named lunar meteorite stones representing about 24 falls have been found in Oman. In an area of 10.7 × 10³ km² in southern Oman, lunar meteorite areal densities average 1 g km^?2. All lunar meteorites from Oman are breccias, although two are dominated by large igneous clasts (a mare basalt and a crystalline impact‐melt breccia). Among the meteorites, the range of compositions is large: 9–32% Al₂O₃, 2.5–21.1% FeO, 0.3–38 μg g^?1 Sm, and <1 to 22.5 ng g^?1 Ir. The proportion of nonmare lunar meteorites is higher among those from Oman than those from Antarctica or Africa. Omani lunar meteorites extend the compositional range of lunar rocks as known from the Apollo collection and from lunar meteorites from other continents. Some of the feldspathic meteorites are highly magnesian (high MgO/[MgO + FeO]) compared with most similarly feldspathic Apollo rocks. Two have greater concentrations of incompatible trace elements than all but a few Apollo samples. A few have moderately high abundances of siderophile elements from impacts of iron meteorites on the Moon. All lunar meteorites from Oman are contaminated, to various degrees, with terrestrial Na, K, P, Zn, As, Se, Br, Sr, Sb, Ba, U, carbonates, or sulfates. The contamination is not so great, however, that it seriously compromises the scientific usefulness of the meteorites as samples from randomly distributed locations on the Moon.     

Magnesian anorthositic granulites in lunar meteorites Allan Hills A81005 and Dhofar 309: Geochemistry and global significance

Abstract– Fragments of magnesian anorthositic granulite are found in the lunar highlands meteorites Allan Hills (ALH) A81005 and Dhofar (Dho) 309. Five analyzed clasts of meteoritic magnesian anorthositic granulite have Mg′ [molar Mg/(Mg + Fe)] = 81–87; FeO ≈ 5% wt; Al₂O₃ ≈ 22% wt; rare earth elements abundances ≈ 0.5–2 × CI (except Eu ≈ 10 × CI); and low Ni and Co in a non‐chondritic ratio. The clasts have nearly identical chemical compositions, even though their host meteorites formed at different places on the Moon. These magnesian anorthositic granulites are distinct from other highlands materials in their unique combination of mineral proportions, Mg′, REE abundances and patterns, Ti/Sm ratio, and Sc/Sm ratio. Their Mg′ is too high for a close relationship to ferroan anorthosites, or to have formed as flotation cumulates from the lunar magma ocean. Compositions of these magnesian anorthositic granulites cannot be modeled as mixtures of, or fractionates from, known lunar rocks. However, compositions of lunar highlands meteorites can be represented as mixtures of magnesian anorthositic granulite, ferroan anorthosite, mare basalt, and KREEP. Meteoritic magnesian anorthositic granulite is a good candidate for the magnesian highlands component inferred from Apollo highland impactites: magnesian, feldspathic, and REE‐poor. Bulk compositions of meteorite magnesian anorthositic granulites are comparable to those inferred for parts of the lunar farside (the Feldspathic Highlands Terrane): ～4.5 wt% FeO; ～28 wt% Al₂O₃; and Th <1 ppm. Thus, magnesian anorthositic granulite may be a widespread and abundant component of the lunar highlands.     

The titanium contents of lunar mare basalts

Abstract— Lunar mare basalt sample data suggest that there is a bimodal distribution of TiO₂ concentrations. Using a refined technique for remote determination of TiO₂, we find that the maria actually vary continuously from low to high values. The reason for the discrepancy is that the nine lunar sample return missions were not situated near intermediate basalt regions. Moreover, maria with 2–4 wt% TiO₂ are most abundant, and abundance decreases with increasing TiO₂. Maria surfaces with TiO₂ >5 wt% constitute only 20% of the maria. Although impact mixing of basalts with differing Ti concentrations may smear out the distribution and decrease the abundance of high‐Ti basalts, the distribution of basalt Ti contents probably reflects both the relative abundances of ilmenite‐free and ilmenite‐bearing mantle sources. This distribution is consistent with models of the formation of mare source regions as cumulates from the lunar magma ocean.     

Labile trace elements in basaltic achondrites: Can they distinguish between meteorites from the Moon,Mars, and V‐type asteroids?

Abstract— We report data for 14 mainly labile trace elements (Ag, Au, Bi, Cd, Cs, Ga, In, Rb, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, U, and Zn) in eight whole‐rock lunar meteorites (Asuka [A‐] 881757, Dar al Gani [DaG] 262, Elephant Moraine [EET] 87521, Queen Alexandra Range [QUE] 93069, QUE 94269, QUE 94281, Yamato [Y‐] 793169, and Y‐981031), and Martian meteorite (DaG 476) and incorporate these into a comparative study of basaltic meteorites from the Moon, Mars, and V‐type asteroids. Multivariate cluster analysis of data for these elements in 14 lunar, 13 Martian, and 34 howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites demonstrate that materials from these three parents are distinguishable using these markers of late, low‐temperature episodes. This distinguishability is essentially as complete as that based on markers of high‐temperature igneous processes. Concentrations of these elements in 14 lunar meteorites are essentially lognormally distributed and generally more homogeneous than in Martian and HED meteorites. Mean siderophile and labile element concentrations in the 14 lunar meteorites indicate the presence of a CI‐equivalent micrometeorite admixture of 2.6% When only feldspathic samples are considered, our data show a slightly higher value of 3.4% consistent with an increasing micrometeorite content in regolith samples of higher maturity. Concentrations of labile elements in the 8 feldspathic samples hint at the presence of a fractionated highly labile element component, possibly volcanic in origin, at a level comparable to the micrometeorite component. Apparently, the process(es) that contributed to establishing lunar meteorite siderophile and labile trace element contents occurred in a system open to highly labile element transport.     

Petrography,mineralogy, and trace element geochemistry of lunar meteorite Dhofar 1180

Abstract— Here we report the petrography, mineralogy, and trace element geochemistry of the Dhofar 1180 lunar meteorite. Dhofar 1180 is predominantly composed of fine‐grained matrix with abundant mineral fragments and a few lithic and glassy clasts. Lithic clasts show a variety of textures including cataclastic, gabbroic, granulitic, ophitic/subophitic, and microporphyritic. Both feldspathic and mafic lithic clasts are present. Most feldspathic lithic clasts have a strong affinity to ferroan anorthositic suite rocks and one to magnesian suite rocks. Mafic lithic clasts are moderately to extremely Fe‐rich. The Ti/[Ti+Cr]‐Fe/[Fe+Mg] compositional trend of pyroxenes in mafic lithic clasts is consistent with that of low‐Ti mare basalts. Glasses display a wide chemical variation from mafic to feldspathic. Some glasses are very similar to those from Apollo 16 soils. KREEP components are essentially absent in Dhofar 1180. One glassy clast is rich in K, REE and P, but its Mg/[Mg+Fe] is very low (0.25). It is probably a last‐stage differentiation product of mare basalt. Molar Fe/Mn ratios of both olivine and pyroxene are essentially consistent with a lunar origin. Dhofar 1180 has a LREE‐enriched (La 18 × CI, Sm 14 × CI) pattern with a small positive Eu anomaly (Eu 15 × CI). Th concentration is 0.7 ppm in Dhofar 1180. Petrography, mineralogy, and trace element geochemistry of Dhofar 1180 are different from those of other lunar meteorites, indicating that Dhofar 1180 represents a unique mingled lunar breccia derived from an area on the lunar nearside but far away from the center of the Imbrium Basin.     

Constraining the source regions of lunar meteorites using orbital geochemical data

Lunar meteorites provide important new samples of the Moon remote from regions visited by the Apollo and Luna sample return missions. Petrologic and geochemical analysis of these meteorites, combined with orbital remote sensing measurements, have enabled additional discoveries about the composition and age of the lunar surface on a global scale. However, the interpretation of these samples is limited by the fact that we do not know the source region of any individual lunar meteorite. Here, we investigate the link between meteorite and source region on the Moon using the Lunar Prospector gamma ray spectrometer remote sensing data set for the elements Fe, Ti, and Th. The approach has been validated using Apollo and Luna bulk regolith samples, and we have applied it to 48 meteorites excluding paired stones. Our approach is able broadly to differentiate the best compositional matches as potential regions of origin for the various classes of lunar meteorites. Basaltic and intermediate Fe regolith breccia meteorites are found to have the best constrained potential launch sites, with some impact breccias and pristine mare basalts also having reasonably well‐defined potential source regions. Launch areas for highland feldspathic meteorites are much less well constrained and the addition of another element, such as Mg, will probably be required to identify potential source regions for these.     

The petrology,geochemistry, and age of lunar regolith breccias Miller Range 090036 and 090070: Insights into the crustal history of the Moon

Meteorites ejected from the surface of the Moon as a result of impact events are an important source of lunar material in addition to Apollo and Luna samples. Here, we report bulk element composition, mineral chemistry, age, and petrography of Miller Range (MIL) 090036 and 090070 lunar meteorites. MIL 090036 and 090070 are both anorthositic regolith breccias consisting of mineral fragments and lithic clasts in a glassy matrix. They are not paired and represent sampling of two distinct regions of the lunar crust that have protoliths similar to ferroan anorthosites. ⁴⁰Ar‐³⁹Ar chronology performed on two subsplits of MIL 090070,33 (a pale clast impact melt and a dark glassy melt component) shows that the sample underwent two main degassing events, one at ~3.88 Ga and another at ~3.65 Ga. The cosmic ray exposure data obtained from MIL 090070 are consistent with a short (~8–9 Ma) exposure close to the lunar surface. Bulk‐rock FeO, TiO₂, and Th concentrations in both samples were compared with 2‐degree Lunar Prospector Gamma Ray Spectrometer (LP‐GRS) data sets to determine areas of the lunar surface where the regolith matches the abundances observed on the sample. We find that MIL 090036 bulk rock is compositionally most similar to regolith surrounding the Procellarum KREEP Terrane, whereas MIL 090070 best matches regolith in the feldspathic highlands terrane on the lunar farside. Our results suggest that some areas of the lunar farside crust are composed of ferroan anorthosite, and that the samples shed light on the evolution and impact bombardment history of the ancient lunar highlands.     

Petrology and geochemistry of feldspathic impact‐melt breccia Abar al' Uj 012, the first lunar meteorite from Saudi Arabia

Abar al' Uj (AaU) 012 is a clast‐rich, vesicular impact‐melt (IM) breccia, composed of lithic and mineral clasts set in a very fine‐grained and well‐crystallized matrix. It is a typical feldspathic lunar meteorite, most likely originating from the lunar farside. Bulk composition (31.0 wt% Al₂O₃, 3.85 wt% FeO) is close to the mean of feldspathic lunar meteorites and Apollo FAN‐suite rocks. The low concentration of incompatible trace elements (0.39 ppm Th, 0.13 ppm U) reflects the absence of a significant KREEP component. Plagioclase is highly anorthitic with a mean of An_96.9Ab_3.0Or_0.1. Bulk rock Mg# is 63 and molar FeO/MnO is 76. The terrestrial age of the meteorite is 33.4 ± 5.2 kyr. AaU 012 contains a ~1.4 × 1.5 mm² exotic clast different from the lithic clast population which is dominated by clasts of anorthosite breccias. Bulk composition and presence of relatively large vesicles indicate that the clast was most probably formed by an impact into a precursor having nonmare igneous origin most likely related to the rare alkali‐suite rocks. The IM clast is mainly composed of clinopyroxenes, contains a significant amount of cristobalite (9.0 vol%), and has a microcrystalline mesostasis. Although the clast shows similarities in texture and modal mineral abundances with some Apollo pigeonite basalts, it has lower FeO and higher SiO₂ than any mare basalt. It also has higher FeO and lower Al₂O₃ than rocks from the FAN‐ or Mg‐suite. Its lower Mg# (59) compared to Mg‐suite rocks also excludes a relationship with these types of lunar material.     

Characterization of multiple lithologies within the lunar feldspathic regolith breccia meteorite Northeast Africa 001

Abstract– Lunar meteorite Northeast Africa (NEA) 001 is a feldspathic regolith breccia. This study presents the results of electron microprobe and LA‐ICP‐MS analyses of a section of NEA 001. We identify a range of lunar lithologies including feldspathic impact melt, ferroan noritic anorthosite and magnesian feldspathic clasts, and several very‐low titanium (VLT) basalt clasts. The largest of these basalt clasts has a rare earth element (REE) pattern with light‐REE (LREE) depletion and a positive Euanomaly. This clast also exhibits low incompatible trace element (ITE) concentrations (e.g., <0.1 ppm Th, <0.5 ppm Sm), indicating that it has originated from a parent melt that did not assimilate KREEP material. Positive Eu‐anomalies and such low‐ITE concentrations are uncharacteristic of most basalts returned by the Apollo and Luna missions, and basaltic lunar meteorite samples. We suggest that these features are consistent with the VLT clasts crystallizing from a parent melt which was derived from early mantle cumulates that formed prior to the separation of plagioclase in the lunar magma ocean, as has previously been proposed for some other lunar VLT basalts. Feldspathic impact melts within the sample are found to be more mafic than estimations for the composition of the upper feldspathic lunar crust, suggesting that they may have melted and incorporated material from the lower lunar crust (possibly in large basin‐forming events). The generally feldspathic nature of the impact melt clasts, lack of a KREEP component, and the compositions of the basaltic clasts, leads us to suggest that the meteorite has been sourced from the Outer‐Feldspathic Highlands Terrane (FHT‐O), probably on the lunar farside and within about 1000 km of sources of both Low‐Ti and VLT basalts, the latter possibly existing as cryptomaria deposits.     

Four lunar mare meteorites: Crystallization trends of pyroxenes and spinels

Abstract— We studied crystallization trends of pyroxene and spinel in four Antarctic meteorites known to be derived from mare regions of the Moon: Y-793169 and A-881757 (YA meteorites) are unbrecciated igneous basalts, EET 87521 is a fragmental breccia, and Y-793274 is a regolith breccia. All have relatively low bulkrock TiO₂ content, and the YA meteorites are uncommonly ancient. Our electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) data indicate that the YA meteorites and the dominant mare components of Y-793274 and EET 87521 conform to a general trend for Ti-poor (low-Ti and very low-Ti) mare basalts. Their pyroxenes show a strong correlation between Fe/(Fe + Mg) (Fe#) and Ti/(Ti + Cr) (Ti#), both ratios typically increasing from core to rim. These trends presumably reflect local crystallization differentiation of interstitial melt. Previous studies (M. J. Drake and coworkers) have suggested that the detailed configurations of such Fe# vs. Ti# trends may reflect the bulk TiO₂ contents of the parent magmas (basalts). As a more systematic approach to this problem, we plot bulk-rock TiO₂ as a function of the Fe# = 0.50 intercept of each rock's pyroxene Fe# vs. Ti# trend. We call this intercept the Fe#-normalized Ti#. Based on our data for EET 87521, the YA meteorites, and Apollo 12 basalts 12031 and 12064, plus literature data for several other Ti-poor mare basalts, we find a strong correlation between Fe#-normalized Ti# and the bulk TiO₂ content of the parent basalt. This correlation confirms that fragmental breccia EET 87521 is nearly pure very low-Ti (VLT) basalt and that the YA meteorites, for which bulk-rock TiO₂ results scatter due to unusually coarse grain size (A-881757) or scarcity of available sample (Y-793169), are pieces of an uncommonly Ti-poor, but not quite VLT, variety of low-Ti mare basalt. Extrapolating from this correlation, the dominant mare component of regolith breccia Y-793274 is probably of VLT affinity. Besides the normal mare pyroxene trend of strong correlation between Fe# and Ti#, Y-793274 includes two additional pyroxene compositional trends, both showing a wide range of Ti# despite relatively constant (and low, by mare standards) Fe#. The most magnesian of these trends consists of a single clast with a mode of orthopyroxene + MgO-rich ilmenite. These two trends are of uncertain origin. Possibly one or both represents the highland component of this regolith breccia, although, unlike most highland pyroxenes, these appear relatively unaltered by impact brecciation and metamorphism. Compositions of spinels in the coarse-grained A-881757 show an extraordinary distribution: chromite and ulvöspinel components vary among grains but are nearly constant within grains. Despite its old age and unusually coarse grain sizes, mineralogical evidence (i.e., heterogeneity within both pyroxene and spinel; typical pyroxene exsolution scale very coarse by mare standards but exceeded by the pyroxenes of EET 87521 and Y-793274) indicates that A-881757 was cooled only slightly more slowly than typical mare basalts and may have formed near the center of an uncommonly thick lava flow. Both of the VLT basaltic lunar meteorite breccias, EET 87521 and Y-793274, are composed dominantly of pyroxenes with exsolution coarser than normal for mare basalts. Possibly VLT basalt flows tend to be systematically thicker, and thus more slowly cooled, than more Ti-rich flows.     

Petrography and geochemistry of the LaPaz Icefield basaltic lunar meteorite and source crater pairing with Northwest Africa 032

Abstract— We report on the bulk composition and petrography of four new basaltic meteorites found in Antarctica—LAP (LaPaz Icefield) 02205, LAP 02224, LAP 02226, and LAP 02436—and compare the LAP meteorites to other lunar mare basalts. The LAP meteorites are coarse‐grained (up to 1.5 mm), subophitic low‐Ti basalts composed predominantly of pyroxene and plagioclase, with minor amounts of olivine, ilmenite, and a groundmass dominated by fayalite and cristobalite. All of our observations and results support the hypothesis that the LAP stones are mutually paired with each other. In detail, the geochemistry of LAP is unlike those of any previously studied lunar basalt except lunar meteorite NWA (Northwest Africa) 032. The similarities between LAP and NWA 032 are so strong that the two meteorites are almost certainly source crater paired and could be two different samples of a single basalt flow. Petrogenetic modeling suggests that the parent melt of LAP (and NWA 032) is generally similar to Apollo 15 low‐Ti, yellow picritic glass beads, and that the source region for LAP comes from a similar region of the lunar mantle as previously analyzed lunar basalts.     

Lunar meteorite LaPaz Icefield 04841: Petrology,texture, and impact‐shock effects of a low‐Ti mare basalt

Abstract— Found during the 2004 U.S. Antarctic Search for Meteorites season, LaPaz Icefield (LAP) 04841 represents an addition to the LaPaz lunar basalts suite and brings the total mass collected to 1.93 kg. The presence of FeNi grains, troilite, and the anorthositic composition of plagioclase are evidence for the lunar origin of this meteorite. Pyroxene and olivine Mn/Fe values plot along the trend set for lunar basalts. Analyses of chromite grains provide a V/(Al + Cr) ratio of 1.33 ± 13, translating to an fO₂ one log unit below the IW buffer, in accordance with previous fO₂ estimates for lunar basalts. Application of the Zr‐cooling speedometer, for ilmenite and ulvöspinel pairs, gives a cooling rate of 5.2 °C/day, matching previous estimates of cooling rates for the LaPaz lunar meteorites and Apollo mare basalts. Mineral modes and chemistries, as well as trace‐element patterns, provide compelling evidence for pairing of this meteorite to others in the LaPaz lunar basalt suite.     

Lunar meteorite Queen Alexandra Range 93069 and the iron concentration of the lunar highlands surface

Abstract— Lunar meteorite Queen Alexandra Range 93069 is a clast-rich, glassy-matrix regolith breccia of ferroan, highly aluminous bulk composition. It is similar in composition to other feldspathic lunar meteorites but differs in having higher concentrations of siderophile elements and incompatible trace elements. Based on electron microprobe analyses of the fusion crust, glassy matrix, and clasts, and instrumental neutron activation analysis of breccia fragments, QUE 93069 is dominated by nonmare components of ferroan, noriticanorthosite bulk composition. Thin section QUE 93069,31 also contains a large, impact-melted, partially devitrified clast of magnesian, anorthositic-norite composition. The enrichment in Fe, Sc, and Cr and lower Mg/Fe ratio of lunar meteorites Yamato 791197 and Yamato 82192/3 compared to other feldspathic lunar meteorites can be attributed to a small proportion (5–10%) of low-Ti mare basalt. It is likely that the nonmare components of Yamato 82192/3 are similar to and occur in similar abundance to those of Yamato 86032, with which it is paired. There is a significant difference between the average FeO concentration of the lunar highlands surface as inferred from the feldspathic lunar meteorites (mean: ～5.0%; range: 4.3–6.1%) and a recent estimate based on data from the Clementine mission (3.6%).     

The origin of young mare basalts inferred from lunar meteorites Northwest Africa 4734, 032, and LaPaz Icefield 02205

Northwest Africa (NWA) 4734 is an unbrecciated basaltic lunar meteorite that is nearly identical in chemical composition to basaltic lunar meteorites NWA 032 and LaPaz Icefield (LAP) 02205. We have conducted a geochemical, petrologic, mineralogic, and Sm‐Nd, Rb‐Sr, and Ar‐Ar isotopic study of these meteorites to constrain their petrologic relationships and the origin of young mare basalts. NWA 4734 is a low‐Ti mare basalt with a low Mg* (36.5) and elevated abundances of incompatible trace elements (e.g., 2.00 ppm Th). The Sm‐Nd isotope system dates NWA 4734 with an isochron age of 3024 ± 27 Ma, an initial ε_Nd of +0.88 ± 0.20, and a source region ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.201 ± 0.001. The crystallization age of NWA 4734 is concordant with those of LAP 02205 and NWA 032. NWA 4734 and LAP 02205 have very similar bulk compositions, mineral compositions, textures, and ages. Their source region ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd values indicate that they are derived from similar, but distinct, source materials. They probably do not sample the same lava flow, but rather are similarly sourced, but isotopically distinct, lavas that probably originate from the same volcanic complex. They may have experienced slightly different assimilation histories in route to eruption, but can be source‐crater paired. NWA 032 remains enigmatic, as its source region ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd definitively precludes a simple relationship with NWA 4734 and LAP 02205, despite a similar bulk composition. Their high Ti/Sm, low (La/Yb)_N, and Cl‐poor apatite compositions rule out the direct involvement of KREEP. Rather, they are consistent with low‐degree partial melting of late‐formed LMO cumulates, and indicate that the geochemical characteristics attributed to urKREEP are not unique to that reservoir. These and other basaltic meteorites indicate that the youngest mare basalts originate from multiple sources, and suggest that KREEP is not a prerequisite for the most recent known melting in the Moon.     

Occurrence and implications of secondary olivine veinlets in lunar highland breccia Northwest Africa 11273

Lunar breccias preserve the records of geologic processes on the Moon. In this study, we report the occurrence, petrography, mineralogy, and geologic significance of the observed secondary olivine veinlets in lunar feldspathic breccia meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 11273. Bulk‐rock composition measurements show that this meteorite is geochemically similar to other lunar highland meteorites. In NWA 11273, five clasts are observed to host veinlets that are dominated by interconnecting olivine mineral grains. The host clasts are mainly composed of mafic minerals (i.e., pyroxene and olivine) and probably sourced from a basaltic lithology. The studied olivine veinlets (~5 to 30 μm in width) are distributed within the mafic mineral host, but do not extend into the adjacent plagioclase. Chemically, these olivine veinlets are Fe‐richer (Fo_41.4–51.9), compared with other olivine grains (Fo_54.3–83.1) in lithic clasts and matrix of NWA 11273. By analogy with the secondary olivine veinlets observed in meteorites from asteroid Vesta (howardite–eucrite–diogenite group samples) and lunar mare samples, our study suggests that the newly observed olivine veinlets in NWA 11273 are likely formed by secondary deposition from a lunar fluid, rather than by crystallization from a high‐temperature silicate melt. Such fluid could be sulfur‐ and phosphorous‐poor and likely had an endogenic origin on the Moon. The new occurrence of secondary olivine veinlets in breccia NWA 11273 reveals that the fluid mobility and deposition could be a previously underappreciated geological process on the Moon.     

On the relationship between the Apollo 16 ancient regolith breccias and feldspathic fragmental breccias,and the composition of the prebasin crust in the Central Highlands of the Moon

Abstract Two types of texturally and compositionally similar breccias that consist largely of fragmental debris from meteorite impacts occur at the Apollo 16 lunar site: Feldspathic fragmental breccias (FFBs) and ancient regolith breccias (ARBs). Both types of breccia are composed of a suite of mostly feldspathic components derived from the early crust of the Moon and mafic impact-melt breccias produced during the time of basin formation. The ARBs also contain components, such as agglutinates and glass spherules, indicating that the material of which they are composed occurred at the surface of the Moon as fine-grained regolith prior to lithification of the breccias. These components are absent from the FFBs, suggesting that the FFBs might be the protolith of the ARBs. However, several compositional differences exist between the two types of breccia, making any simple genetic relationship implausible. First, clasts of mafic impact-melt breccia occurring in the FFBs are of a different composition than those in the ARBs. Also the feldspathic “prebasin” components of the FFBs have a lower average Mg/Fe ratio than the corresponding components of the ARBs; the average composition of the plagioclase in the FFBs is more sodic than that of the ARBs; and there are differences in relative abundances of rare earth elements. The two breccia types also have different provenances: the FFBs occur primarily in ejecta from North Ray crater and presumably derive from the Descartes Formation, while the ARBs are restricted to the Cayley plains. Together these observations suggest that although some type of fragmental breccia may have been a precursor to the ARBs, the FFBs of North Ray crater are not a significant component of the ARBs and, by inference, the Cayley plains. The average compositions of the prebasin components of the two types of fragmental breccia are generally similar to the composition of the feldspathic lunar meteorites. With 30–31% Al₂O₃, however, they are slightly richer in plagioclase than the most feldspathic lunar meteorites (～29% Al₂O₃), implying that the crust of the early central nearside of the Moon contained a higher abundance of highly feldspathic anorthosite than typical lunar highlands, as inferred from the lunar meteorites. The ancient regolith breccias, as well as the current surface regolith of the Cayley plains, are more mafic than (1) prebasin regoliths in the Central Highlands and (2) regions of highlands presently distant from nearside basins because they contain a high abundance (～30%) of mafic impact-melt breccias produced during the time of basin formation that is absent from other regoliths.     

Chemistry of the Calcalong Creek lunar meteorite and its relationship to lunar terranes

Abstract— The Calcalong Creek lunar meteorite is a polymict breccia that contains clasts of both highlands and mare affinity. Reported here is a compilation of major, minor, and trace element data for bulk, clast, and matrix samples determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Petrographic information and results of electron microprobe analyses are included. The relationship of Calcalong Creek to lunar terranes, especially the Procellarum KREEP Terrane and Feldspathic Highlands Terrane, is established by the abundance of thorium, incompatible elements and their KREEP‐like CI chondrite normalized pattern, FeO, and TiO₂. The highlands component is associated with Apollo 15 KREEP basalt but represents a variant of the KREEP‐derived material widely found on the moon. Sources of Calcalong Creek's mare basalt components may be related to low‐titanium (LT) and very low‐titanium (VLT) basalts seen in other lunar meteorites but do not sample the same source. The content of some components of Calcalong Creek are found to display similarities to the composition of the South Pole‐Aitken Terrane. What appear to be VLT relationships could represent new high aluminum, low titanium basalt types.     

Geochemistry and petrology of lunar meteorite Queen Alexandra Range 94281, a mixed mare and highland regolith breccia,with special emphasis on very-low-titanium mafic components

Abstract— Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94281, a lunar meteorite recently discovered in Antarctica, is a glassy-matrix, clast-rich regolith breccia containing a mixture of mafic, volcanic-glass and gabbroic constituents and a diverse set of highland constituents. In thin section, the clast assemblage is dominated by coarse mineral debris from a shallow intrusive or hypabyssal setting, or from deep within a thick mare flow. Abundant coarse-grained pyroxene clasts have fine-scale exsolution lamellae and compositions similar to pyroxenes of known lunar very-low-Ti (VLT) basalts and other lunar meteorites of basaltic composition. Pyroxene compositions follow Fe-enrichment extending to hedenbergite, which is associated with fayalite and cristobalite, indicating slow cooling. We refer to the protolith of the crystalline VLT component as VLT gabbro. Fragments of pyroclastic glasses that have high Fe and low Ti concentrations, similar to the pyroclastic green glasses known from Apollo samples, are common. Lithic clasts include abundant subrounded, glassy to cryptocrystalline, aluminous (～17–30 wt% Al₂O₃) KREEP-poor melt breccias of highland origin and a variety of other feldspathic impactites. On the basis of composition of our subsamples, QUE 94281 consists of ～54 wt% mafic or “mare” components and 46 wt% feldspathic or “highland” components. The bulk composition of QUE 94281 is similar to that of Yamato (Y) 793274, but QUE 94281 has slightly greater concentrations of some siderophile elements and slightly lower concentrations of those elements contributed mainly by mafic constituents. Differences in siderophile element concentrations are consistent with longer surface exposure of QUE 94281. Minor differences in trace element variations of subsamples of the two meteorites suggest subtle differences in the composition of their highland constituents. Nonetheless, the overall similarity of compositions supports the possibility that they were ejected from the same source region on the Moon. The crystalline VLT component of QUE 94281 differs from those known from Apollo 17 and Luna 24 VLT lithologies and from that of basaltic breccia Elephant Moraine (EET) 87521. The VLT-gabbro component and the ferroan VLT volcanic glasses in QUE 94281 have compositions that may be petrogenetically related by derivation from a common picritic parent composition, represented by an ultramafic glass found in QUE 94281.