Item for auction is a 1.96 partial slice of Oued El Hamim lunar fragmental breccia meteorite. Three large identical appearing stones found together. Exterior is desert weathered and light brown in color, with no fusion crust present. Saw-cut polished-slice surfaces show fragments of white feldspar, clasts of various sizes, all set in a gray-green fine-grained groundmass.
Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Electron microprobe analysis and imagery indicate a lunar fragmental breccia with clasts of minerals and rocklets. Major phases are plagioclase, clinopyroxene and olivine. Minor phases include Cr-spinel, ilmenite, and troilite. Altered olivines are ubiquitous. Altered olivines are reddish in color and have low microprobe totals suggesting that they have been transformed into an iddingsite-like phase. Microprobe mapping shows contact boundaries between unaltered olivine and iddingsite, supporting a secondary alteration scenario. Vesicular shock melt domains are common throughout.
Classification: Lunar fragmental breccia with some olivines displaying features consistent with aqueous alteration. This meteorite comes with a Big Kahuna Meteorites Certificate of Authenticity / Specimen Card. Scale cube in photo is 1cm on each side, and not included in sale. Big Kahuna combines shipping, and addresses must be in the English language, to facilitate customs input at US Postal Service. Non-English addresses cannot be shipped, and may incur additional fees for handling. We no longer ship to China or Italy.