Fact sheet
70185 is a coarse-grained high-Ti mare basalt. It has a granular texture comprising pyroxene and plagioclase feldspar with little olivine and abundant ilmenite. The average grain size is about 0.8 mm. Rotation 1 shows a small cristobalite crystal with a dark brown melt inclusion. Rotation 2 also contains two small cristobalite crystals but is mainly focused on a large pyroxene that displays wavy extinction due to strain.
The sample weighed 466.6 grams before analysis and has not been dated.
Further details of this and other Apollo samples are here: http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/
Apollo 17, the final manned landing mission, had two objectives: to obtain samples of ancient rocks from the lunar highlands and to look for evidence of younger volcanic activity on the valley floor.
This small Collection contains material deriving from both periods, including igneous rocks around 4.3 billion years old from the lunar highlands as well as younger volcanic samples dating from about 3.6 billion years ago.
Apollo 17 was launched on 7 December 1972.