Distribution and provenance of lunar highland rock types at North Ray Crater, Apollo 16

Abstract

The complete collection of 139 boulder, large rock (hand specimens), rake and "soil walnut" samples (>ca. 1 g) from Station 11 and of 48 corresponding samples from Station 13, Apollo 16, has been reclassified on the basis of macroscopic and microscopic, textural and compositional analyses. Nine major types of rocks were identified: (1) cataclastic anorthositic rocks, (2) granulitic anorthositic rocks and granulitic breccias, (3) feldspathic, microporphyritic melt breccias; three types of mafic rich melt breccias with (4) intergranular, (5) micropoikilitic, and (6) subophitic crystalline matrix; (7) clast-poor or clast-free subophitic to ophitic or intersertal melt rocks (basalts); (8) impact glasses; and (9) feldspathic fragmental breccias.