{"product_id":"adrar-013-lunar-meteorite-lunar-melt-breccia-115-15g-complete-individual","title":"Adrar 013 Lunar Meteorite, Lunar Melt Breccia, 115.15g, Complete Individual","description":"\u003cp\u003eA 115.15 g stone from the Moon, classified as a lunar melt breccia and recorded in the Meteoritical Bulletin as Adrar 013. The material is anorthite-rich impact melt carrying angular clasts of the lunar highland crust, with flow and quench textures preserved from the moment the melt froze. As of September 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin lists this as 1 of 65 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (melt breccia).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAdrar 013 has a recorded mass of 3.15 kg for the whole meteorite, described as several grayish-greenish fragments including a single stone of about 3 kg. A specimen of this size represents a substantial share of what exists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eStructure and features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bulletin describes Adrar 013 as a melt breccia of grayish-greenish clasts set in abundant anorthite-rich melt rock matrix, with pronounced flow and quench textures and small acicular crystals nucleating on larger entrained mineral grains. The clast and matrix relationship is visible across the stone in the photographs: angular pale fragments set against a finer grey groundmass, with clast boundaries sharp enough to trace by eye at macro range. A network of fine fractures runs through the surface. Flow and quench textures are recorded in the published petrography and are features of the material rather than of any one face, so the photographs are the guide to what this particular stone shows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTan to orange desert crust is present in patches on the underside and along parts of the margin, visible in the reverse and profile photographs. It is undisturbed and has not been removed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMajor phases recorded in the classification are pigeonite, often zoned augite, and less abundant olivine. Minor phases include ilmenite, chromite, and troilite. Published shock stage is high and weathering grade is low.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePublished geochemistry, from A. Greshake at the Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin: olivine Fa24.0 plus or minus 0.1; pigeonite Fs25.0 plus or minus 1.5, Wo10.0 plus or minus 0.5; zoned calcium pyroxene Fs23.4 plus or minus 3.2, Wo29.3 plus or minus 6.2; calcic plagioclase An95.8 plus or minus 0.8.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eDiscovery and provenance\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bulletin records that the meteorite was purchased from a meteorite dealer in Timokten, Algeria, in 2023, at coordinates 27 degrees 07 minutes 48.70 seconds north, 01 degree 02 minutes 01.43 seconds east, in Adrar province. Classification was carried out by A. Greshake at the Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin, who also submitted the entry. The name was approved on 14 February 2024 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 113.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe type specimen of 20.5 g is held at the Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin. The Bulletin records the main mass with Polandmet, Marcin Cimala, and names further holdings: Marcin Cimala 750 g, Craig Zlimen 600 g, Mark Lyon a 600 g mass and a 980 g mass, and Paul Durzan 400 g. Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. is not a recorded holder in the entry. This specimen was acquired by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eScientific context\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCalcic plagioclase above An90 is characteristic of the lunar highland crust rather than the mare basalt plains, and the An95.8 composition published for Adrar 013 places the source in the anorthositic highlands. That crust formed roughly 4.4 billion years ago, when plagioclase crystallizing from the lunar magma ocean floated to build the Moon's primordial surface. The classification records the lithology as anorthositic norite and gabbro following Stoeffler et al. (1980), the standard nomenclature for lunar highland rocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe melt breccia texture records an impact. Flow banding shows the melt was still moving as it cooled. Acicular crystals growing on entrained grains mark the quench front, where cooling was fast enough to arrest normal crystallization. Angular clast boundaries show the fragments stayed solid as the melt engulfed them. A later impact launched the consolidated rock above lunar escape velocity, after which it orbited the Sun until its path crossed Earth's.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBackground on how this material reaches Earth is set out in \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/what-is-a-lunar-meteorite\"\u003ewhat is a lunar meteorite\u003c\/a\u003e, and how to read the classification record is covered in \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/meteoritical-bulletin-explained\"\u003eunderstanding the Meteoritical Bulletin\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs Adrar 013 officially classified?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYes. It is an official name, approved 14 February 2024 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 113 as Lunar (melt breccia). The entry is public and linked at the foot of this page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does melt breccia mean?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAn impact melts part of the target rock and traps solid fragments in the resulting liquid. Cooling freezes both together in one stone: the former melt as matrix, the fragments as clasts. Flow and quench textures record how the melt moved and how quickly it cooled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does An95.8 plagioclase tell you?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nPlagioclase with anorthite content above An90 points to the lunar highland crust rather than to the darker mare basalts. The published An95.8 plus or minus 0.8 composition is consistent with anorthositic highland material, and it is one of the measurements that ties this rock to the Moon rather than to an asteroid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow much lunar material exists on Earth?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe recorded masses of lunar entries in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database sum to slightly over 2,000 kg as of August 2026. Figures of 650 kg or under 1,000 kg circulate widely online and date from published sources of several years ago. Apollo material is separate and cannot be privately owned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan a private collector legally own this?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYes. Lunar meteorites arrived on Earth naturally and can be legally bought and sold where the source country permits export. This is set out in \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/can-you-legally-buy-a-moon-rock\"\u003ecan you legally buy a moon rock\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do I verify this is the specimen in these photographs?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThis stone is recorded under serial TC-00042. The serial indexes a permanent public record holding the classification data as published, the recorded weight, and photographs of this exact stone. Clast patterns and surfaces are individual to each stone, so a specimen in hand can be compared against those photographs and weighed against the recorded figure. Every issued serial is listed in the \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/specimen-registry\"\u003especimen registry\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is included?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nA certificate of authenticity from Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA member number 3323, documenting the Meteoritical Bulletin classification and provenance, and a certificate card bearing the serial. Secure, fully insured shipping is included, and this specimen qualifies for \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/white-glove-service\"\u003ewhite glove service\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCollector significance\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLunar melt breccia is a small category. As of September 2026 the Meteoritical Bulletin lists 65 approved meteorites under that classification, against more than 80,000 approved meteorites overall. Adrar 013 is one of them, with a recorded mass of 3.15 kg for the entire meteorite.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt 115.15 g this specimen holds a meaningful fraction of that recorded mass in a single piece. Most lunar material offered to private collectors is measured in single grams or fractions of a gram, and the step up to three digits changes what the specimen can do on a shelf or in a case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOther lunar material is listed in the \u003ca href=\"\/de\/collections\/lunar-meteorites\"\u003elunar meteorite collection\u003c\/a\u003e, and general background is indexed on the \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/learn-about-meteorites\"\u003elearn hub\u003c\/a\u003e. For institutional acquisition inquiries, contact brian@tcmeteorites.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eClassification data on this page is reproduced from the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.lpi.usra.edu\/meteor\/metbull.cfm?code=81328\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMeteoritical Bulletin Database entry for Adrar 013\u003c\/a\u003e, published in Meteoritical Bulletin 113.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Treasure Coast Meteorite Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46174717673519,"sku":"ADRAR-013-115.15G-INDIVIDUAL","price":8060.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/9724\/9839\/files\/adrar-013-lunar-melt-breccia-115-15g-with-scale-cube.jpg?v=1789362003","url":"https:\/\/www.tcmeteorites.com\/de\/products\/adrar-013-lunar-meteorite-lunar-melt-breccia-115-15g-complete-individual","provider":"Treasure Coast Meteorite Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}