[meteorite-list] what is this, really

[Randy Korotev]

At 01:57 25-08-06 Friday, you wrote:
>2.  On the scale, does this mean the clasts get arbitrarily large 
>for the known sample pool or is there a sort of maximum size assumed,...

Doug:

I don't know, but Dhofar 287, NWA 773, and Sau 169 are each dominated 
but one igneous (basalt in Dhofar 287, olivine cumulate in NWA 773) 
or pseudo-igneous rock type (crystallized impact-melt in SaU 169) 
with a minor regolith-breccia rock type attached:

http://epsc.wustl.edu/admin/resources/meteorites/dhofar287.html
http://epsc.wustl.edu/admin/resources/meteorites/nwa773.html
http://epsc.wustl.edu/admin/resources/meteorites/sau169.html

So, one interpretation is that each of these meteorites is really a 
regolith breccia with one immense clast.  Perhaps the clast material 
is stronger than the regolith breccia material and survived the blast 
off, Moon-Earth trip, entry, and landing better.

"Clasts" like this do occur in the lunar regolith:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a16/AS16-106-17393.jpg

Randy Korotev



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