NWA 17706 Lunar Meteorite End Cut, Troctolitic Anorthosite Melt Breccia, 2.20g

An end cut of NWA 17706, a classified lunar highland melt breccia

NWA 17706 is classified as Lunar in the Meteoritical Bulletin, approved 14 September 2025 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 114 (2026). Its writeup gives the classification as Lunar (troctolitic anorthosite, melt breccia), following the nomenclature of Stoeffler et al. (1980). This specimen is an end cut weighing 2.20g. One face is cut to expose the interior breccia, and the remaining surfaces retain the original desert varnished exterior of the stone. The photographs show the exact specimen offered.

Structure and features

The cut face shows the melt breccia texture described in the published petrography: pale lithic clasts and mineral debris set in a darker plagioclase-rich impact melt matrix, crossed by fine light veinlets. Several cream to tan clasts are visible across the face, the largest a rounded inclusion near the center. The uncut surfaces are pale and irregular, carrying the desert varnish and shallow hollows characteristic of the recovered stones.

Published petrography by Jose Garcia at ADARA describes a melt breccia composed of mineral debris and sparse lithic troctolitic clasts, with grain sizes up to 90 micrometers and subophytic texture, embedded in a plagioclase-rich, partially devitrified impact melt matrix. The mineral assemblage consists of anorthitic plagioclase, fine-grained ferroan olivine, and subordinate low-Ca pyroxene. Accessory phases include chromite, ilmenite, and sulfides, typically distributed interstitially.

Published geochemistry from MB 114: olivine Fa34.6±1.4 (n=12, FeO/MnO=92±6); pigeonite Fs30.3±1.2Wo7.2±3.0 (n=6, FeO/MnO=58±3); plagioclase An98.2±0.6 (n=9). The highly anorthitic plagioclase is consistent with the feldspathic highland crust of the Moon. The Bulletin records a weathering grade of low and a magnetic susceptibility of 3.42. The recovered stones are described as gray, desert varnished, and lacking fusion crust.

Discovery and provenance

NWA 17706 was found in December 2024 in Algeria. Eight stones with a combined mass of 327.9g were purchased in Tindouf from Taguati Abdelhamid. The finder is recorded as anonymous. The type specimen, 20g, is held at MUNA, the Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueologia in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. Two thin sections are held at ADARA. The remaining mass is with Brian McDonald of Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. Classification was carried out by J. Garcia at ADARA and approved 14 September 2025. The working name recorded in the Bulletin is BMD 011.

Scientific context

The Meteoritical Bulletin indexes NWA 17706 as Lunar. As of August 2026 the database records 119 approved meteorites under that classification. The writeup for NWA 17706 gives the fuller designation Lunar (troctolitic anorthosite, melt breccia), which is the same lithology that NWA 18211 carries as its indexed classification. A search of the database in August 2026 returns five meteorites indexed as Lunar (troct. anorth. melt breccia): Northeast Africa 089, NWA 17295, NWA 17865, NWA 18211, and Oued Tilemsi 003. Two of those five derive from MB 115 and remain subject to change by the Meteorite Nomenclature Committee.

Troctolitic anorthosite is a plagioclase-rich rock containing olivine, a lithology associated with the lunar highland crust. A melt breccia of that composition records impact processing of highland material, with fragments of the original rock set in a matrix that was melted and then cooled. The high anorthite content measured in this meteorite, An98.2, is consistent with that origin. Further background is on our page explaining what a lunar meteorite is.

Frequently asked questions

Is NWA 17706 officially classified? Yes. It is an officially classified lunar meteorite accepted by the Meteoritical Society, approved 14 September 2025 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 114 (2026). Offered by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA #3323.

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. It shows the interior structure on the cut face while retaining the original exterior surface of the stone, which a full slice does not.

How does this differ from the NWA 17706 slices? The slices are cut through the full width of the stone and expose interior material on both faces. This specimen is an end cut, so one face is cut and the remaining surfaces are the original desert varnished exterior.

What is the relationship between NWA 17706 and NWA 18211? Both are lunar meteorites published in Meteoritical Bulletin 114, and both are held by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. NWA 18211 is indexed in the database as Lunar (troct. anorth. melt breccia). The writeup for NWA 17706 gives that same designation in its classification line, while the database indexes the meteorite as Lunar. The difference reflects nomenclature practice rather than a difference in the described material.

Why does this stone lack fusion crust? The Bulletin records the NWA 17706 stones as lacking fusion crust. Many meteorites recovered from the Sahara have lost their original crust to surface weathering. The interior mineralogy and the published geochemistry are unaffected.

Collector significance

An end cut presents both the interior and the exterior of the stone in a single specimen. On this piece the cut face shows the clast and matrix structure of the melt breccia, while the remaining surfaces keep the desert varnish the Bulletin describes for the recovered material. At 2.20g it represents a meaningful fraction of a meteorite whose total known weight is 327.9g across eight stones.

Browse the full Lunar Meteorites collection, including the NWA 17706 full slices and NWA 18211.

Meteoritical Bulletin entry: NWA 17706 | Classification: Lunar | Find, Algeria, 2024 | TKW 327.9g | MB 114 (2026) | IMCA #3323