Tisserlitine 001
Lunar, feldspathic breccia
Found in Gao, Mali, 2019
A recent find (December 2019), Tisserlitine is a highly desirable lunar feldspathic breccia hailing from the Kidal region of Mali.
Specimens of this remarkable meteorite exhibit “knobby” exterior features and a surprising pinkish-colored interior and a smattering of clasts ranging in color from dark grey, light grey, and white. Finders of this lunar visitor recovered a massive 47,705-gram stone, including several smaller pieces.
“Feldspathic” refers to feldspars, which are rock-forming minerals containing sodium, calcium, potassium or barium. Common examples are orthoclase, albite, and anorthite. Feldspar is incredibly abundant on Earth, making up over half of Earth’s crust. The petrography of Tisserlitine also contains anorthite, a light-colored material on the surface of the Moon in an area called the lunar highlands. These highlands are older than the darker plains on the Moon, and hence display more craters. In 1971, astronauts James Irwin and David Scott (Apollo 15) collected what is now known as the Genesis Rock (sample 15415) from Spur crater. Analysis concluded that the rock is make up of anorthosite, which is composed mostly of anorthite.