Petrography and bulk chemistry of Martian lherzolite LEW88516

The meteorite Lewis Cliffs 88516 is a gabbroic lherzolite with geochemical and petrologic characteristics typical of the shergottites, a distinct subgroup of basaltic achondrites belonging to the SNC (Martian) meteorite clan. We report new INAA and microprobe data for LEW88516, noting small but significant differences between our results and those previously published for this meteorite. These discrepancies are mainly attributed to heterogeneities in the bulk rock powder which was distributed to several laboratories for geochemical studies. Other discrepancies are attributed to interlaboratory bias. We emphasize that even minor variations between datasets may have the potential to significantly affect geochemical models for Martian basalts. Small differences in bulk trace element chemistry between LEW88516 and Martian lherzolite ALH77005 may indicate that they crystallized from different magmas.