Fact sheet
70075 is a vitrophyric basalt with only a few small phenocrysts of olivine and armalcolite armoured with ilmenite. Early descriptions of an opaque glass matrix actually refers to fine-grained intergrowths of plagioclase, pyroxene and ilmenite.
Our thin section is thin in places, so the olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts visible in rotation 1 show low (grey) interference colours.
The sample weighed 5.64 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.