New Acquisition: Rare Lunar Meteorite

Falling to Earth in 2021, this Rare Lunar Meteorite also known as feldspathic melt breccia was discovered in Adjabiya, Libya and dates back approximately 3.8 billion years old. Weighting an impressive 496 grams, this lunar meteorite measures 7 x 9 x 8.5 cm and is accompanied by a bespoke display stand.

Find out more about this Lunar meteorite, how it was formed, where it fell and recent auction results of lunar meteorites below:

Details:
Adjabiya 001
Feldspathic melt breccia
Approximately 3.8 billion years old
7 x 9 x 8.5 cm
Found in Adjabiya, Libya
Bespoke stand included
£14,000

This specimen, which weighs nearly 500 grams and has an incredibly exquisite form. Its characteristics include angular, light-grey, densely packed lithic clasts surrounded by a sparse, black, finely-grained matrix. Its intricate details and fascinating surface make it one of the most intriguing meteorites ever discovered.

How are Lunar Meteorites formed?

Due to the Moon having no atmosphere, asteroid and comet impacts on its surface are common. Impacts can cause fragments of ‘lunar rocks’ to be launched off the Moon’s surface at >2.4 km/s (lunar escape velocity) and start a journey to Earth. Before landing on the planet’s surface, the material has to survive the intense heat of impact.

The rarity of lunar material is due to the frequency of impacts. There are approximately 5 impacts per million years large enough to eject lunar meteorites, however, these impacts can cause craters as large as 450 metres in diameter (around a quarter of a mile). Lunar meteorites make up less than 0.1% of all that have been recovered—and the total mass of moon meteorites that have ever been discovered on Earth is estimated to be about 150 kg.

Meticulous examination of lunar meteorites' elemental and isotopic composition—which closely resembles that of samples taken by NASA astronauts, surface landers, and rovers—makes identification of these objects conceivable.

Adjabiya Meteorites

Image Credit: Worldometer

North Africa is one of the most abundant areas in the world for meteorites and its terrain and population density make them easier to find than anywhere in the world. Due to the country's large surface area and large populations with a uniform distribution the discovery and documentation of these meteorites can be efficient and legitimate. Other factors that make North Africa favourable for meteorite discovery are genuine meteorite education, scarce grasslands, a semi-arid to desert environment (most of the year with clear skies), and potential access to the fall location with a low percentage of forest cover and a dense road network.

To date, there have been 21 approved meteorite landings in Adjabiya, Libya with this particular fall being only the 2nd to ever contain lunar material.

Lunar Meteorites at auction

In Koller International Auction’s 2024 ‘Out of this World’ sale, another sample of Adjabiya 001, this time weighing 2182 grams sold for an impressive 175,000 CHF (Approximately £156,000). The specimen smashed its presale estimate of 60,000-80,000 CHF

Image Credit: Koller International Auctions

For enquiries or to find out further details about our Rare Lunar Meteorite, please click below to get in touch. Scroll below to discover our full meteorite collection featuring a rare lunar slice, a rare mars slice and a selection of Campo Del Cielo meteorites.