12022 - Ilmenite basalt
Collection:
Moon rocks
Click the microscope button to view a
thin section for this sample.
MicroscopeClick the microscope button to view a thin section for this sample.
MicroscopeFact sheet
12022 - Ilmenite basalt
Sample 12022 is medium-grained porphyritic Lunar Mare basalt collected during the Apollo 12 mission. The sample has been dated at 3.2 billion years and was probably brought to the surface of the Moon by a meteorite impact 200 million years ago.
The thin section contains phenocrysts of olivine and pyroxene (augite and pigeonite). The groundmass consists of feathery intergrowths of plagioclase feldspar, ilmenite, pyroxene and a small amount of glass. Ilmenite has an interesting cross-cutting, parallel, skeletal habit. Accessory minerals include chromite, ulvospinel and metallic iron.
Further details of this and other Apollo samples are here: http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/
About this collection
Sample details
Type
igneous
Rock-forming mineral
pyroxene
olivine
ilmenite
Accessory minerals
chromite
ulvospinel
metallic iron
We would like to thank the following for the use of this sample: