Fact sheet
66037 and associated samples (66035 & 66036) are regolith breccias, but they have excess 40Ar and for this reason have been termed “ancient regolith breccia”. Plagioclase feldspar is the major clast type, although olivine, pyroxene, and glass clasts are also present. Additionally, lithic clasts of Mare basalt, KREEP basalt, anorthosite and granulite are reported. Rotation 1 shows two devitrified glass clasts and rotation 2 shows an anorthosite clast.
The sample weighed 3.7 grams before analysis and has not been dated.
Further details of this and other Apollo samples are here: http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/
Our thin section is slightly thick, hence the pale yellow of plagioclase between crossed polars.
The Apollo 16 landing site was in the hilly region around Descartes crater in the lunar highlands. The landing spot was chosen to allow the astronauts to gather geologically older lunar material (Descartes Formation and the Cayley Formation) than the samples obtained in the first four landings, which were in or near lunar maria.
The mission lasted 11.1 days, with a stay on the lunar surface of 71 hours. The crew were on the lunar surface for 20.2 hours during which they traversed approximately 27 kilometers and collected approximately 96 kilograms of samples.
Apollo 16 was launched on 16 April 1972.