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: [email protected] > From: [email protected] > 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. > > > >______________________________________________ > >Visit the Archives at > >http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > >Meteorite-list mailing list > >[email protected] > >http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
