ADVANCES IN POLAR SCIENCE ›› 2013, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (4): 329-341.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1084.2013.00329

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PETROLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERISTICA OF LUNAR METEORITE MIL 090070 FROM ANTARCTICA

Yao Jie1, 2, Miao Bingkui1, 2, Chen Hongyi1, 2, Xie Lanfang1, 2, Xia Zhipeng1, 2   

  1.  
    1Guangxi Scientific Experiment Center for Mining, Metallurgy and Environment, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China;
    2Guangxi Key Laboratory of Hidden Metallic Ore Deposits Exploration, Guilin 541004, China
  • Received:2013-07-16 Revised:2013-09-16 Online:2013-12-30 Published:2013-12-30

Abstract: MIL 090070 is a new lunar meteorite that found in 2009, it’s a lunar highland anorthosite. It has a typical breccias texture which consists mainly of lithic clasts, mineral clasts, glassy clasts and fine-grained matrix. Its lithic clasts include anorthositic polymict clast anorthosite clast, gabbro clast, gabbroic norite clast, gabbroic troctolite clast, gabbroic anorthosite clast and olivine-gabbro clast. And there are mineral clasts of augite, pigeonite, plagioclase, spinel, quartz and ilmenite et al. The glassy clasts are anorthositic, its shapes usually are thin plate-like and bending plate-like and there are a lot of fractures in them. The mineral assemblage is plagioclase (86vol%,An92—99), olivine(6vol%,Fo53—89), pyroxene(7vol%,En25—83Fs7—43Wo2—45), spinel, ilmenite and silica et al. In addition, the pyroxene has two kinds of augite(En25—63Fs7—43Wo6—45)and pigeonit(En55—83 Fs13—41Wo2—5). The Mn to Fe values of olivine and pyroxene plot mostly in the area of the moon-origin rocks which are far from those of the earth, the mars, the venus and the asteroid. MIL090070 experienced many shock events and cemented by the shock-induced glassy breccias. Then the mineral composition and grain size of the lithic clasts changed gradually and the lithic clast types became more varied and complicate during the shock events. The study on petrology of MIL 090070 including clast types and texture features will help to get insight of the process of formation of the lunar regolith.

Key words: lunar meteorite, MIL 090070, highland anorthosite, lunar regolith