Adrar 013 Lunar Meteorite Slices, Melt Breccia, Algeria, Choose Your Slice

Slices of Adrar 013, a lunar melt breccia from Algeria, all cut from one stone

Adrar 013 is a lunar meteorite, officially classified by the Meteoritical Society as Lunar (melt breccia) and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 113 in 2025. Every slice offered on this page was cut from the same stone, so the slices share one interior and differ only in size and in where along the stone each was cut. Choose a weight from the options above. The photograph that appears with each option shows that exact slice, and the weight shown is that slice's own weight on our scale, to two decimal places.

As of October 2026, the Meteoritical Bulletin lists this as 1 of 67 approved meteorites classified as Lunar (melt breccia). That is a count of database entries; lunar finds recovered separately are listed under separate names until pairing is established, so the number of distinct meteorites may be lower.

Structure and features

The Bulletin describes Adrar 013 as a melt breccia: grayish-greenish clasts set in abundant anorthite-rich melt rock. That matrix shows pronounced flow and quench textures, with small needle-shaped (acicular) crystals nucleating on larger mineral grains carried along in the melt. The major minerals are pigeonite, often zoned augite, and less abundant olivine. Ilmenite, chromite and troilite occur as minor phases.

Each slice is polished on one face only, with the opposite face left unpolished. The opening photographs show the stone's slices as a group, so you can see how the clast pattern and the light melt matrix carry from one cut face to the next. The photograph attached to each weight option shows the individual slice you will receive.

Published geochemistry from the Bulletin: olivine Fa24.0±0.1 (FeO/MnO 84±8, n=7); pigeonite Fs25.0±1.5Wo10.0±0.5 (FeO/MnO 47±3, n=7); zoned calcium-rich pyroxene Fs23.4±3.2Wo29.3±6.2 (FeO/MnO 45±5, n=7); calcic plagioclase An95.8±0.8 (n=7). The Bulletin records the meteorite's shock stage as high and its weathering grade as low.

Discovery and provenance

The Bulletin records Adrar 013 as a find from the Adrar region of Algeria, purchased in 2023 from a meteorite dealer in Timokten. The recovery consisted of several grayish-greenish fragments, including a large single stone of 3 kg. The total recorded mass is 3.15 kg. That figure is the mass of the whole meteorite as reported, not the weight of any slice offered here.

Classification was carried out by A. Greshake at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, which holds the 20.5 g type specimen. The name was approved on 14 February 2024. The Bulletin records the main mass with Polandmet, Marcin Cimala.

These slices were acquired by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., and all of them come from a single stone.

Scientific context

Lunar meteorites are pieces of the Moon's crust thrown off by impacts with enough speed to escape lunar gravity, which later fell to Earth. A melt breccia records one of those violent moments on the lunar surface: an impact melted pre-existing crustal rock, and the melt swept up unmelted fragments before cooling quickly enough to preserve flow and quench textures.

The Bulletin classifies the rock as an anorthositic norite/gabbro melt breccia, using the lunar highland rock nomenclature of Stoeffler and colleagues (1980). In plain terms, it is dominated by calcium-rich plagioclase (anorthite, An95.8) with pyroxene and minor olivine, a composition associated with the lunar highlands crust. For background on how this material reaches Earth and how it is identified, see what is a lunar meteorite.

Frequently asked questions

Are all of these slices from the same meteorite stone? Yes. Every slice on this page was cut from one stone of Adrar 013. They share the same interior and differ in size and in the position each was cut from.

Which slice will I receive? The one you select. Each weight option is a single slice, and the photograph that appears when you choose it shows that exact slice. The weight listed is that slice weighed on our scale to two decimal places.

Is Adrar 013 officially classified? Yes. It is an official meteorite name, classified as Lunar (melt breccia) by A. Greshake at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 113 (2025). Offered by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA #3323.

How do scientists know it came from the Moon? Lunar classification rests on mineral chemistry, bulk composition and oxygen isotope ratios that match samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions. The Bulletin entry reports the mineral chemistry used for Adrar 013.

What does melt breccia mean? A breccia is a rock made of broken fragments held together in a matrix. In a melt breccia, that matrix is rock melted by an impact, which then cooled around the fragments it had picked up.

How should I care for a slice? Keep it dry and handle it by the edges or with cotton gloves. Skin oils and moisture can dull a polished face over time.

Is each slice polished on both sides? No. Each slice is polished on one face only, and the opposite face is left unpolished.

What is included? The slice you select, in a display case.

Collector significance

Adrar 013 carries a published classification from a major institution, a total recorded mass of 3.15 kg, and a classification shared by 67 approved meteorites as of October 2026. Offering slices from a single stone lets a collector choose the size that suits a display or a budget, knowing every option comes from the same piece of the Moon. Browse more lunar material in our lunar meteorite collection, and see where Adrar 013 sits among all lunar finds by recorded mass on the largest lunar meteorites.

Meteoritical Bulletin entry: Adrar 013 | Classification: Lunar (melt breccia) | Find, Adrar, Algeria, 2023 | MB 113 (2025) | IMCA #3323