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

Larry Atkins thetoprok at aol.com
Wed Dec 29 18:51:46 EST 2010


Hi Greg, Randy, List,

I have been wondering the same thing since I've recently cut a few of
my lunar suspects recently. To put Greg's question a little different,
do lunar meteorites ever have crystaline shapes? Can you see with the
naked eye or a loupe actual crystal structures like 6 sided or 8 sided
crystals?

Sincerely,
Larry Atkins
IMCA # 1941
Ebay username  alienrockfarm
www.poisonivycontrolofmichigan.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Thunder Stone <stanleygregr at hotmail.com>
To: korotev at wustl.edu; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Sent: Wed, Dec 29, 2010 11:55 am
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Crystals in Lunar Meteorites...?


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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