Laayoune 002 Lunar Meteorite End Cut, Feldspathic Breccia, 6.60g, Moon Rock

A 6.60g end cut of Laayoune 002, a lunar feldspathic breccia

Laâyoune 002 is an officially classified lunar meteorite, recorded in the Meteoritical Bulletin as Lunar (feldspathic breccia) and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 111 (2023). This specimen is an end cut weighing 6.60g, with one polished cut face exposing the interior breccia and the original exterior surface preserved on the opposite side. The photographs show the exact specimen offered. For background on the type, see our guide to lunar meteorites.

Structure and features

The cut face is the reason to own this piece. It shows a pale tan and cream groundmass carrying angular mineral clasts in grey, amber and near black, crossed by a network of fine pale veins that runs across the whole surface. Bright white clasts stand out against the darker matrix, and the macro images resolve the clast boundaries and vein structure clearly. This is the fragmental texture that defines a feldspathic breccia: material shattered and welded back together by impacts on the lunar surface.

The opposite face is the meteorite's original exterior, grey and irregular, with the same whitish clasts visible in relief against a rougher surface. The Bulletin notes that the recovered stones lack fusion crust and have an overall grey colour with some whitish clasts visible, which is exactly what this face shows. Having both the cut interior and the untouched exterior on a single specimen means the piece reads as a meteorite from one side and as a polished section from the other.

Published petrography by A. Irving at the University of Washington and P. Carpenter at Washington University in St. Louis describes a breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, orthopyroxene, pigeonite and augite, with accessory ilmenite, chromite of variable titanium content, and minor secondary barite.

Published geochemistry from MB 111: olivine Fa46.3-46.7 with FeO/MnO 94-98 (N=4); orthopyroxene Fs33.5Wo3.8 with FeO/MnO 57; pigeonite Fs36.9-45.1Wo6.5-8.4 with FeO/MnO 57-64 (N=3); augite Fs19.1-20.9Wo39.1-39.7 with FeO/MnO 53-54 (N=2); anorthite An96.1-97.7Or0.3-0.1 (N=3). The Bulletin records a shock stage of low and a weathering grade of low.

Discovery and provenance

Laâyoune 002 was found in January 2022 in Saguia el Hamra, Western Sahara, at 27.070°N, 13.202°W. The Bulletin records a total known weight of 5148g recovered as two stones of 3680g and 1468g, purchased from the finder by Aziz Habibi. The type specimen, 20.7g in the form of a polished end cut, is held at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington, and the main mass is recorded as being with Mr. A. Habibi. Classification was carried out by A. Irving and P. Carpenter and approved 19 March 2022. The working name recorded in the Bulletin is AH 709, and the meteorite was submitted by A. Irving.

This specimen was acquired by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. It is not the main mass and is not the type specimen.

Scientific context

Feldspathic breccias are the most common kind of lunar meteorite, and they come from the highlands: the pale, heavily cratered terrain that covers most of the Moon's surface and makes up the bright areas visible from Earth with the naked eye. The rock is dominated by anorthite, a calcium-rich feldspar, which is what gives the highlands their colour and what gives this class its name.

The brecciated texture records the Moon's impact history directly. Each angular clast in the cut face is a fragment of older lunar rock, broken apart by an impact and then bound back into a new rock by the heat and pressure of a later one. A piece like this is a sample of the lunar crust that was assembled on the Moon and then launched to Earth by a further impact. As of August 2026 the Meteoritical Bulletin database records 372 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Frequently asked questions

Is Laayoune 002 officially classified? Yes. It is an officially named meteorite classified as Lunar (feldspathic breccia), approved 19 March 2022 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 111 (2023). The official spelling of the name is Laâyoune 002. Offered by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA #3323.

How do we know it came from the Moon? Lunar meteorites are identified by mineral chemistry and isotopic composition that match samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions. The mineral compositions recorded in the Bulletin entry are what place this meteorite in the lunar group.

What is a feldspathic breccia? A breccia is a rock made of angular fragments of older rock cemented together. Feldspathic means it is dominated by feldspar, specifically the calcium-rich anorthite that makes up the lunar highlands. Together the term describes highland crust that has been repeatedly broken and reassembled by impacts.

What is an end cut? An end cut is a piece taken from the end of a mass, cut on one face and left uncut on the others. This specimen has one polished cut face showing the interior breccia and the original exterior surface on the reverse.

Who holds the main mass? The Meteoritical Bulletin records the main mass of Laâyoune 002 as being with Mr. A. Habibi, and the type specimen at the Burke Museum. This specimen is a smaller piece acquired by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co.

Collector significance

At 6.60g this is an accessible piece of lunar material, and the end cut format gives both the polished interior and the untouched exterior on a single specimen rather than one or the other. The cut face carries clast and vein structure across its whole area, which is what makes a small feldspathic breccia worth looking at closely. Lunar meteorites remain among the few materials in private hands that can be traced to another world with published analytical support.

Browse the full Lunar Meteorites collection.

Meteoritical Bulletin entry: Laâyoune 002 | Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia) | Find, Saguia el Hamra, Western Sahara, January 2022 | TKW 5148g | MB 111 (2023) | IMCA #3323