Insights into the petrogenesis of lunar basaltic breccia Dominion Range (DOM) 18543

Thirteen previously undescribed clasts from lunar meteorite Allan Hills A81005 include one that is a cataclastic, “hyperferroan” noritic anorthosite. Mafic minerals in this clast (low‐Ca pyroxene with mg′ 52 and olivine with Fo 41) have very low mg compared to most lunar anorthosites described before the discovery of 81005. Siderophile element concentrations are low and indicate that the clast is compositionally pristine. Rare earth elements (REE) are 2.5–10 times more abundant and slightly more fractionated than in previously described ferroan anorthosites. Another probably pristine clast is a granulitic gabbroic norite that has low‐Ca pyroxene with mg′ 53. Hyperferroan anorthosites are a significant component of 81005. Extreme iron enrichment and high REE abundances indicate that these rocks formed late in the evolution of the magma from which the ferroan anorthosite suite formed. Plagioclase was not enriched in Na even at these late stages. Another clast is a cataclastic ferroan anorthosite (Fo 66) that might be pristine. Of the remaining 10 clasts, nine are granular to cataclastic rocks (primarily anorthositic troctolites or troctolitic anorthosites), and two are impact melt breccias, all of which probably represent mixtures of pristine rock types. The former have REE that are essentially unfractionated relative to chondrites and range in abundance from 1.5–3×Cl, and the latter are similar to bulk 81005 (REE 5–8×Cl). Siderophile element abundances are high and indicate the presence of a significant meteoritic component. Our data indicate that 81005 has only a small KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, phosphorus) component. This is consistent with previous results.

Geochemistry and mineralogy of a feldspathic lunar meteorite (regolith breccia), Northwest Africa 2200

We performed a petrological, mineralogical, and geochemical study of the lunar feldspathic meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 11111. This meteorite contains several types of lithic clasts, including feldspathic clasts, mafic‐rich clasts, granulites, impact melt breccias, minor basaltic clasts, and highly evolved clasts cemented in a recrystallized fine grain matrix. Both mineral chemistry and geochemical characteristics indicate a lunar origin for NWA 11111. The bulk analysis suggests that NWA 11111 is a typical feldspathic lunar meteorite, which is consistent with its large population of anorthositic clasts and plagioclase fragments. A comparison of geochemical data made by lunar orbiter missions indicates that this meteorite was likely launched from the Feldspathic Highland Terrane on the lunar farside. The chemical zoning, coupled with extensive exsolution lamellae (up to 20 μm in width) occurring in pyroxene across three sections of NWA 11111, demonstrates that this meteorite contains components derived from the surface to about 10 km of lunar crust. Magnesian anorthosite clasts are commonly present in the meteorite, indicating that magnesian anorthosite probably represents an important lithology in the lunar farside crust. Basaltic clasts in NWA 11111 range from a very low‐Ti to a low‐Ti mare basalt, possibly representing cryptomare on the lunar farside. Although a KREEPy signature for NWA 11111 is not evident, highly evolved clasts containing various silica polymorphs and/or K‐feldspar are present. They may originate from late‐stage residual liquids. Lithic clasts and mineral fragments within NWA 11111 provide new insights into the diversity of lunar crust lithology and magmatic processes on the lunar farside. This meteorite also offers rocky materials from a wide vertical section of lunar crust.

This study presents the petrography, mineralogy, and bulk composition of lunar regolith breccia meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7948. We identify a range of lunar lithologies including basaltic clasts (very low‐titanium and low‐titanium basalts), feldspathic lithologies (ferroan anorthosite, magnesian‐suite rock, and alkali suite), granulites, impact melt breccias (including crystalline impact melt breccias, clast‐bearing impact melt breccias, and glassy melt breccias), as well as regolith components (volcanic glass and impact glass). A compositionally unusual metal‐rich clast was also identified, which may represent an impact melt lithology sourced from a unique Mg‐suite parent rock. NWA 7948 has a mingled bulk rock composition (Al2O3 = 21.6 wt% and FeO = 9.4 wt%) and relatively low concentrations of incompatible trace elements (e.g., Th = 1.07 ppm and Sm = 2.99 ppm) compared with Apollo regolith breccias. Comparing the bulk composition of the meteorite with remotely sensed geochemical data sets suggests that the sample was derived from a region of the lunar surface distal from the nearside Th‐rich Procellarum KREEP Terrane. Our investigations suggest that it may have been ejected from a nearside highlands‐mare boundary (e.g., around Mare Crisium or Orientale) or a cryptomare region (e.g., Schickard‐Schiller or Mare smythii) or a farside highlands‐mare boundary (e.g., Mare Australe, Apollo basin in the South Pole–Aitken basin). The distinctive mineralogical and geochemical features of NWA 7948 suggest that the meteorite may represent lunar material that has not been reported before, and indicate that the lunar highlands exhibit wide geological diversity.

The complex stratigraphy of the highland crust in the Serenitatis region of the Moon inferred from mineral fragment chemistry

Oldest high-Ti basalt and magnesian crustal materials in feldspathic lunar meteorite Dhofar 1428

Samples from the North Ray crater ejecta blanket, Apollo 16, were investigated by petrographic microscope, electron microprobe, instrumental neutron activation and Xray fluorescence analyses, and 40Ar‐39Ar and Rb‐Sr dating techniques. Nine major groups of monomict and polymict breccias were defined on the basis of microscopic texture and these were further subdivided into chemical subgroups on the basis of characteristic elements such as Al, Mg, Fe, Cr, REE, Ni, and Co. The polymict breccias — fragmental breccias, granulitic breccias, and impact melt breccias — are the result of multiple impact‐induced mechanical mixing and melting, and of thermal and impact metamorphism of rock and mineral clasts derived from primordial igneous crustal rocks. For calculations of mixing models it was found that end‐members consisting of the pristine igneous rock components present as discrete samples at the Apollo 16 site and supplemented by KREEP, dunite, and a meteoritic component yield the best fits for the composition of polymict breccias. The end‐member rocks a re: ferroan anorthosite, various magnesian gabbronorites including “sodic ferrogabbro” and “feldspathic lherzolite,” and spinei troctolite. The following model is proposed for the composition and stratigraphy of the target for North Ray crater. The lower section of the stratigraphy is composed of a megabreccia with clasts of highly feldspathic polymict breccias (KREEP‐free “Old Eastern Highland Rock Suite”) interpreted as Nectaris ejecta (Descartes formation). The top section contains KREEP‐bearing polymict breccias (KREEP‐bearing “Young Western Highland Rock Suite”) and appears to be similar to the lithologies found in the Cayley plains. This material interpreted as Cayley formation may be a distant facies of Imbrium basin ejecta deposits of the Imbrium basin. The petrographic differences between these two major selenographic units (the Descartes and the Cayley formations) in the Apollo 16 area are more distinct than the chemical differences. The petrographic and chemical composition of the primordial igneous upper crust in the regions of the Nectaris and Imbrium basins has been calculated by subtraction of the KREEP and meteoritic components from the bulk composition of the Descartes and Cayley materials. The Nectaris, crust which is better constrained, consists of 86‐87% a northosite, 4% sodic ferrogabbro, 0.5‐1.3% feldspathic lherzolite, 6‐8% regular magnesian gabbronorite, 1.8‐2.8% dunite, and 0.1% spinel troctolite. A model for the evolution of the upper lunar crust in the Descartes highlands is proposed on the basis of isotope ages and clast‐matrix relationships of polymict breccias. Essential features of this model in sequenial order are: (1) development of multiple layers of KREEP‐free “early feldspathic fragmental megabreccias” and impact melt sheets on the primordial crust in the time period from 4.4 aeons to the time of the Nectaris impact, which could have occurred as late as 3.85 aeons ago, (2) excavation of these megabreccias by the Nectaris event and deposition of a “Nectarian feldspathic fragmental megabreccia” in the Descartes area, (3) introduction of KREEP‐basaltic material into the upper crust, mainly west and northwest of the Descartes site and formation of KREEPy impact melt sheets (most probably from 4.05 to 3.80 aeons ago), (4) Imbrium impact at 3.8 aeons ago and deposition of KREEP‐bearing “Imbrian feldspathic fragmental breccias” at the Descartes site which form the Cayley formation, and (5) redeposition , mixing, and melting of all preexisting breccias yielding KREEP‐bearing and KREEP‐poor post‐Cayley fragmental breccias and melt ejecta (“glass bombs”) as the result of small impacts (craters < 1.5 km in diameter) in the Cayley plains and the Descartes mountains, respectively.

Abstract— The petrogenesis of four lunar highlands meteorites, Dhofar 025 (Dho 025), Dhofar 081 (Dho 081), Dar al Gani 262 (DaG 262), and Dar al Gani 400 (DaG 400) were studied. For Dho 025, measured oxygen isotopic values and Fe‐Mn ratios for mafic minerals provide corroboratory evidence that it originated on the Moon. Similarly, Fe‐Mn ratios in the mafic minerals of Dho 081 indicate lunar origin.Lithologies in Dho 025 and Dho 081 include lithic clasts, granulites, and mineral fragments. A large number of lithic clasts have plagioclase AN# and coexisting mafic mineral Mg# that plot within the “gap” separating ferroan anorthosite suite (FAN) and high‐magnesium suite (HMS) rocks. This is consistent with whole rock Ti‐Sm ratios for Dho 025, Dho 081, and DaG 262, which are also intermediate compared to FAN and HMS lithologies. Although ion microprobe analyses performed on Dho 025, Dho 081, DaG 262, and DaG 400 clasts and minerals show far stronger FAN affinities than whole rock data suggest, most clasts indicate admixture of ≤12% HMS component based on geochemical modeling. In addition, coexisting plagioclase‐pyroxene REE concentration ratios in several clasts were compared to experimentally determined plagioclase‐pyroxene REE distribution coefficient ratios. Two Dho 025 clasts have concordant plagioclase‐pyroxene profiles, indicating that equilibrium between these minerals has been sustained despite shock metamorphism. One clast has an intermediate FAN‐HMS composition.These lunar meteorites appear to represent a type of highland terrain that differs substantially from the KREEP‐signatured impact breccias that dominate the lunar database. From remote sensing data, it is inferred that the lunar far side appears to have appropriate geochemical signatures and lithologies to be the source regions for these rocks; although, the near side cannot be completely excluded as a possibility. If these rocks are, indeed, from the far side, their geochemical characteristics may have far‐reaching implications for our current scientific understanding of the Moon.

Northwest Africa (NWA) 7611/10480 are lunar regolith breccia meteorites, composed of mineral fragments and various clasts including mare basalts, volcanic glasses, gabbroic lithologies, and a diverse variety of highland materials (ferroan anorthosite, Mg‐suite, magnesian anorthosite, and alkali suite rocks) as well as different subvarieties of impact melt breccia. The Apollo two‐component mixing model calculation reveals that the NWA 7611 source region contains 58 wt% mare materials and 42 wt% highland components, but the estimated mare components in NWA 10480 have a higher abundance (66 wt%). The predominantly very low‐Ti (VLT) composition in both fine‐grained basaltic and coarse‐grained gabbroic lithologies indicates a provenance associated with a thick lava flow or a single magmatic system. The co‐occurrence of zoning patterns and fine‐scale exsolution lamellae in pyroxene debris supports a cryptomare deposit as the best candidate source. Phosphate Pb–Pb ages in matrix fragments, impact melt breccia, and basaltic clast indicate that the breccia NWA 7611 records geological events spanning approximately 4305–3769 Ma, which is consistent with the ages of ancient lunar VLT volcanism and the products of basin‐forming impacts on the lunar nearside. The youngest reset age at ~3.2 Ga is potentially related to the strong shock lithification process of breccia NWA 7611. Moreover, the similar petrology, texture, geochemistry, cosmic‐ray exposure data, and crystallization ages support that basaltic component in Yamato (Y)‐793274, and Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94281, NWA 4884, and NWA 7611 clan came from the same basalt flow.

Lunar anorthosites are known for displaying a limited range of plagioclase An content (∼An 94 to 98). Here we demonstrate that plagioclase trace-element variations from Apollo ferroan anorthosites (FAN) samples (collected by the Apollo 15 and 16 missions) display more significant chemical heterogeneity (e.g., chondrite-normalized [La/Sm] 0.33–5.42) than previously reported. We report mineral (plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine) major- and trace-element abundances for a suite of Apollo FAN samples, in addition to, anorthositic clasts within Apollo 16 regolith breccias. This suite of data extends the compositional range currently reported for Apollo anorthosites and for anorthositic clasts previously found within lunar meteorites. Petrological classifications of the regolith breccia clasts (e.g., anorthosite versus noritic anorthosites) cannot always be accurately assessed due to the limited size (<1 cm) these rock fragments, however, the overlap in chemistry with the FAN suite highlights a genetic link with the FAN bedrock source. This observation emphasizes the usefulness of clasts and mineral fragments within regolith breccias, offering important insights into potentially unsampled bedrock lithologies from the Apollo 16 landing site. Melts in equilibrium with plagioclase can be used to assess parental melt compositions of the lunar magma ocean (LMO), from which anorthosites are generally agreed to have crystallized. In general, melts in equilibrium with the anorthosites reported here display slight light rare earth (LREE) depletions to LREE enrichments ([La/Sm]CI 0.87–2.5). The observed range of LREE enrichments from this suite, together with variations in ratios of other incompatible trace-elements (e.g., Th/Sm = 0.002–0.19) cannot be accounted for by fractional crystallization alone. We propose that the observed trace-element enriched anorthosites are related to overturn processes in the lunar mantle. During mantle overturn, the act of exhuming deep mafic-rich cumulates to the base of the lunar crust will trigger decompression melting. These are likely to be small degree (<10%) partial melts, which are typically enriched in incompatible elements. Variable mixing between such melts, KREEP, and overlying plagioclase-saturated residual melts or plagioclase-rich lithologies will result in lunar anorthosites that display variable incompatible element enriched signatures. This is similar to the proposal of Floss et al. (1998) that suggested infiltration of local LMO magmas occurred by more evolved liquids through a process of metasomatism. By understanding the petrogenesis of these lunar anorthosites, we are able to constrain some of the complexities associated with the solidification of a magma ocean. This in turn, has important implications for understanding the timing and formation mechanisms of the Moon’s crust.

Petrographic data and pyroxene compositions indicate that meteorite ALHA 81005 is a breccia from the terrae of the Earth's Moon. Thin section ALHA 81005,9 includes ferroan anorthositic clasts, a lone clast of Mg‐suite plutonic composition, fragments which are intermediate in composition between ferroan anorthosite and Mg‐suite plutonics, and a clast of very low‐titanium mare basalt. Fragments of norite and harzburgite have mineral compositions like ferroan anorthosite, and a clast of ferroan anorthosite has pyroxenes with lower molar Mg/(Mg+Fe) than in known pristine rocks. The Mg‐suite protoliths for the clasts of intermediate composition are inferred to be magnesian troctolites, spinel troctolites and feldspathic lherzolites. Although clasts of these lithologies are not present in ALHA 81005,9, mineral fragments from them are present. A single basaltic clast is of mare origin, based on the molar Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratio and Cr content of its pyroxenes. The composition of its plagioclase and the molar Ti/(Ti+Cr) ratios of its pyroxenes indicate that the clast is a fragment of very low‐titanium (VLT) mare basalt. If this basalt is significantly younger than the last basin‐forming impact event (≃ 3.9 × 109 years ago), its presence probably constrains the source crater for ALHA 81005 to be within a hundred kilometers of a VLT mare basalt flow.

Two general classes of lunar impact breccias have been recognised: fragmental breccias and melt breccias. Fragmental breccias are composed of clastic-rock debris in a finely comminuted grain-supported matrix of mineral and lithic fragments. Impact melt breccias have crystalline to glassy matrices that formed by cooling of a silicate melt. Most lunar impact breccias in our collection probably sample ejecta from large complex craters or multi-ring basins, although linking individual breccias to specific impact events has proven surprisingly difficult. A long-standing problem in lunar science has been distinguishing clast-poor impact melt breccias from igneous rocks produced by melting of the lunar interior. Concentrations and relative abundances of highly siderophile elements derived from the meteoritic impactor provide a useful discriminant, especially when combined with petrologic and geochemical evidence for mechanical mixing. Most lunar impact melt breccias have crystallisation ages of 4.0 – 3.8 Ga, corresponding to an episode of intensive crustal metamorphism recorded by whole-rock U – Pb isotopic compositions of lunar anorthosites. This may reflect a short-lived spike in the cratering rate, although other explanations are possible. The question of whether or not a cataclysmic bombardment struck the Earth and Moon at ca 3.9 Ga remains open and the subject of continuing investigations.

Apollo 12 revisited

The petrogenetic models of the lunar crust are built on the returned Apollo and Luna samples collected from limited parts of the lunar nearside that are chemically unusual (i.e., material rich in K, Rare Earth Elements, and P [KREEP]) and not representative of the entire lunar lithologic suite. The lunar Mg‐suite is part of this sample collection and ubiquitously has geochemical characteristics indicating the involvement of KREEP in their petrogenesis and seemed to be linked to the Procellarum KREEP Terrain (PKT). However, it is unclear if KREEP is necessary for Mg‐suite magmatism or whether Mg‐suite magmatism was a global event that occurred without significant KREEP contribution, and thus, Mg‐suite rocks outside of the PKT region may exist without containing a significant KREEP signature. Here, we investigate lunar meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 10401, an anorthositic troctolitic breccia with a granulitic texture. NWA 10401 shares many characteristics of Apollo Mg‐suite rocks: both its bulk rock composition and alumina content, as well as its mineralogy and mineral chemistry, are more consistent with typical Apollo Mg‐suite rocks, rather than ferroan anorthosites. In addition, olivine‐spinel equilibria calculations indicate that NWA 10401 is consistent with being derived from a common parent to the Apollo Mg‐suite troctolites. However, despite these many shared characteristics, NWA 10401 is strongly depleted in REE, starkly separating it from the typical Apollo Mg‐suite of the PKT. This indicates that NWA 10401 (and pairs) could represent a Mg‐suite component outside the PKT, and thus, KREEP‐poor Mg‐suite magmatism may have been a global phenomenon on the Moon.

Lunar impact-melt breccias were formed by intense bombardment of the Moon's surface by meteorites. The compositions of these rocks may record the composition of the underlying lunar crust, but also may contain components that were transported from much larger basin-forming impacts several hundred kilometers away. In this study, a suite of nine impact-melt breccia samples were analyzed for their texture and mineral compositions and a subset of these samples were analyzed for Sr and Nd-isotopic compositions. These new data were integrated into accumulated databases on the mineral-chemical and geochemical compositions of Apollo 16 impact-melt breccias to develop a better understanding of the formation of these rocks and the nature of the materials from which they were derived. Although not pronounced, there are some distinct mineralogical features characteristic of the various breccia groups and subgroups defined in McKinley et al. (1984) and Korotev (1994). Rocks in the various subgroups have isotopic characteristics that are correlated with the geochemical features used to classify them. Mineralogical and chemical features of Group 3 and Group 4 breccias (feldspathic) are clearly inherited from their anorthositic source. The large compositional variation in Group 3 and Group 4 breccias (mafic) is more complicated, requiring a significantly more mafic and incompatible trace element–rich source than anorthosite. Although rocks of the magnesian and alkali suites have these compositional characteristics, the amount of added material required to shift the compositions of feldspathic breccias to mafic breccias is prohibitive. The mafic impact-melt breccias are interpreted to have been emplaced as a result of the Imbrium impact, and thus contain a record of the composition of the middle to lower crust in the Imbrium region. Compositional similarities between Group 1 breccias and Apollo 15 KREEP basalts suggest that these two rocks may ultimately have the same source region.