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Thin section of rock brought back to earth by Apollo 12 mission
A photomicrographic of a thin section of one of the rocks brought back to earth by Apollo 12 lunar landing mission, revealing the mineralogy of the rock. Relatively large enuant crystals are visible. This texture, termed porphyritic, suggests differing rates of growth of the large crystals versus the groundmoss minerals. The large crystals are olivine and the groundmoss minerals are pyrexenes, feldspar and metal compounds - minerals which make up the bulk of the Apollo 12 rocks. The large crystals are approximately one millimeter across. The texture and the mineralogy are both common in volcanic rocks.
Catalog Date: 16 December 1969
Film Type: 35mm
NASA image: S69-63443