Moore County meteorite, Carthage, Moore Co., North Carolina, USA
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Fell 21 Apr 1913, 1.88 kg
The Moore County eucrite has remained an object of continuing interest after Hess & Henderson (1949) presented persuasive evidence that the meteorite's primary mineralogical assemblage had involved slow crystallization and subsequent sub-solidus development not unlike that experienced by terrestrial rocks forming at moderate depths below the surface. The stone is dominated by pyroxenes and anorthitic plagioclase. Differences in petrographic descriptions of the pyroxenes is an apparent consequence of the complicated transformation and inversion from an original, oriented Ca-rich pigeonite into (mostly) clinohypersthene accompanied by at least two generations of augite exsolution lamellae. The plagioclase is reported by some observers to be uniform in composition, but minor differences in reported results suggest some compositional variability within the meteorite. Minor phases include interstitial tridymite and lesser amounts of apatite and even apparent primary augite. Opaques include chromite, Ilmenite, troilite and traces of iron.
Primary crystallization apparently occurred ~ 4.55 billion years ago, but reconciling isotopic ages and reconstructing the subsequent sequence of events leading to Moore County's eventual arrival on earth remains a continuing challenge.
Mineral List
14 entries listed. 8 valid minerals.
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References
Hess, H. H. & Henderson, E. P. (1949) The Moore County Meteorite: A Further Study with Comment on its Primordial Environment. American Mineralogist 34 (3-4): 494-507. (March-April 1949)
Duke, M. B & Silver L. T. (1967) Petrology of eucrites, howardites and mesosiderites: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 31(10):1637-1665. (Oct 1967)
Bunch, T. E. & Klaus K. (1971) Chromite and Ilmenite in non-chondritic meteoritics. American Mineralogist 56 (1/2); 146-157 (Jan/Feb 1971)
Hostetler, C. J. & Drake, M. J. (1978) Quench temperatures of Moore County and other eucrites: residence time on eucrite parent body. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 42 (5): 517-522. (May 1978)
Mason B., Jarosewich E. & Nelen J. A. (1979) The pyroxene-plagioclase achondrites. Smithson. Contrib. Earth Sci. 22: 27-45.
Mori, H. & Takeda, H. (1981) Evolution of the Moore County Pyroxenes As Viewed by an Analytical Transmission Electron Microprobe (ATEM). Meteoritics 16 (4): 362-363. (Dec 1981)
Delaney, J. S. (1982) Minor Components of Basaltic Achondrites - II. Phosphorus (abstract): Lunar Planetary Science Conference XIII: 150-151. (March 1982)
Tera, F., Carlson, R. W. & Boctor, N. Z. (1987) Isotopic and Petrologic Investigation of the Eucrites Cachari, Moore County and Stannern (abstract): Lunar Planetary Science XVIII: p.1004.
Mittlefehldt, D. W., McCoy, T. J., Goodrich, C. A. & Kracher, A. (1998). Non-chondritic meteorites from asteroidal bodies. In: Planetary Materials (Papike, J. J., Editor): Chapter 4, 195 pages. Mineralogical Society of America: Washington, DC, USA. (1998)
Grady, M. M. (2000). Catalogue of Meteorites (5/e). Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, New York, Oakleigh, Madrid, Cape Town. 690 pages.
Boyet, M., Carlson, R. W. & Horan, M. (2010) Old Sm-Nd ages for cumulate eucrites and redetermination of the solar system initial 146Sm/ 144Sm ratio: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 291, Issue 1-4, p. 172-181. (March 2010)
Sarafian, A. R., Roden, M. F. & Patiño-Douce, A. E. (2013) The volatile content of Vesta: Clues from apatite in eucrites. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 48 (11): 2135-2154. (Nov 2013)
Duke, M. B & Silver L. T. (1967) Petrology of eucrites, howardites and mesosiderites: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 31(10):1637-1665. (Oct 1967)
Bunch, T. E. & Klaus K. (1971) Chromite and Ilmenite in non-chondritic meteoritics. American Mineralogist 56 (1/2); 146-157 (Jan/Feb 1971)
Hostetler, C. J. & Drake, M. J. (1978) Quench temperatures of Moore County and other eucrites: residence time on eucrite parent body. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 42 (5): 517-522. (May 1978)
Mason B., Jarosewich E. & Nelen J. A. (1979) The pyroxene-plagioclase achondrites. Smithson. Contrib. Earth Sci. 22: 27-45.
Mori, H. & Takeda, H. (1981) Evolution of the Moore County Pyroxenes As Viewed by an Analytical Transmission Electron Microprobe (ATEM). Meteoritics 16 (4): 362-363. (Dec 1981)
Delaney, J. S. (1982) Minor Components of Basaltic Achondrites - II. Phosphorus (abstract): Lunar Planetary Science Conference XIII: 150-151. (March 1982)
Tera, F., Carlson, R. W. & Boctor, N. Z. (1987) Isotopic and Petrologic Investigation of the Eucrites Cachari, Moore County and Stannern (abstract): Lunar Planetary Science XVIII: p.1004.
Mittlefehldt, D. W., McCoy, T. J., Goodrich, C. A. & Kracher, A. (1998). Non-chondritic meteorites from asteroidal bodies. In: Planetary Materials (Papike, J. J., Editor): Chapter 4, 195 pages. Mineralogical Society of America: Washington, DC, USA. (1998)
Grady, M. M. (2000). Catalogue of Meteorites (5/e). Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, New York, Oakleigh, Madrid, Cape Town. 690 pages.
Boyet, M., Carlson, R. W. & Horan, M. (2010) Old Sm-Nd ages for cumulate eucrites and redetermination of the solar system initial 146Sm/ 144Sm ratio: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 291, Issue 1-4, p. 172-181. (March 2010)
Sarafian, A. R., Roden, M. F. & Patiño-Douce, A. E. (2013) The volatile content of Vesta: Clues from apatite in eucrites. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 48 (11): 2135-2154. (Nov 2013)
External Links
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php = Meteoritical Bulletin Database
