[meteorite-list] Crystals in Lunar Meteorites...?

From: Thunder Stone <stanleygregr_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:55:47 -0800
Message-ID: <SNT117-W2455E3EF3198E67926E9EBD2020_at_phx.gbl>

Thanks Randy:

It does to some degree and thanks for the links.
I keep reading that lunar rocks contain "clasts," which I interpret as a grouping of crystals mashed together from a previous rock, and not individual crystals.? I also read "grains" too.

Let me put it another way:

Do lunar rocks ever contain large crystals of feldspar or pyroxene like you may see in granite or a pegmetite? I unfortunately only have one very small lunar and have only seen others briefly.

I'm convinced if a lunar has lost its fusion crust - it would be very difficult to identify when found.

Greg S.

----------------------------------------
> Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:05:38 -0600
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> From: korotev at wustl.edu
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Crystals in Lunar Meteorites...?
>
> Greg:
>
> All lunar meteorites contain mineral crystals. The basalts (both
> breccias and unbrecciated) are composed mainly of crystals of
> pyroxene and plagioclase feldspar. Some contain olivine, and all
> contain minor ilmenite and related iron-titanium minerals. The
> feldspathic breccias are largely crystalline. The only
> noncrystalline material is glass and a little metal. "Crushed rock"
> is crushed crystalline material. In some lunar meteorites the
> plagioclase has been shock converted to maskelynite which,
> technically, isn't a crystal but more like glass.
>
> Put another way, in photomicrographs of lunar meteorites (or any
> rock) under "cross-polarized light" (NOT "plane polarized light") or
> "crossed nichols," any and all non-black material is crystalline.
>
> There are some here:
>
> http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/PDFFiles/B07_LAP02205v3.pdf < basalt >
> http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/PDFFiles/F23_GRA06157v3.pdf <
> feldspathic breccia >
> http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/PDFFiles/F24_LAR06638v3.pdf <
> feldspathic breccia >
> http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/PDFFiles/M07_MET01210v3.pdf <
> basaltic breccia >
>
> Does this answer your question?
>
> Randy Korotev
>
>
>
>
>
>
> At 11:59 AM 2010-12-29 Wednesday, you wrote:
>
> >List:
> >
> >I hope everyone had a prosperous and joyful Holiday Season.
> >
> >I was wondering something:
> >
> >Do lunar meteorites ever contain crystals? Or are the just crushed
> >rock and lunar soil compacted together? From what I've been able to
> >find is that any basalt type rock containing white feldspar that are
> >crystals or if there is opaque crystals (ilmenite or
> >magnetite...etc.), then it cannot be lunar, is this true? Are there
> >some cases where you could find crystals within a lunar rock?
> >
> >Much Thanks and everyone have a happy New Year.
> >
> >Greg S.
> >
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Received on Wed 29 Dec 2010 02:55:47 PM PST