NWA 17706 Lunar Meteorite Individual, Troctolitic Anorthosite Melt Breccia, 53.80g, Complete Stone from Earth's Moon

NWA 17706, a 53.80 gram complete lunar individual

This 53.80 gram complete individual of NWA 17706 is a genuine piece of the Moon, recovered as a single whole stone and offered from the same documented lot of NWA 17706 lunar material in our classified inventory. It is a larger individual than the piece we offered previously, and the surface on this example stands out, a dark and glossy exterior carrying rounded depressions across the main face. Found in Algeria in December 2024 and classified in 2025, the stone belongs to the lunar meteorites, material from the surface of the Moon itself.

NWA 17706 is officially classified as lunar, with a petrographic description of troctolitic anorthosite melt breccia. That composition points to the Moon's primordial crust, rock that formed when the lunar magma ocean crystallized roughly 4.4 billion years ago and was later reworked by impact. The specimen retains its complete natural form as found, with no cutting, no coating, and no modification, preserving the full context of its ejection from the lunar surface and its arrival on Earth.

Surface and texture

The exterior is dark and glossy, with a desert varnish that covers much of the stone. Rounded depressions sit across the main face and give the piece strong relief and depth under light. Small bright inclusions appear within the darker surface in places, points of contrast against the varnished surface. Turning the stone reveals a paler face with a more granular texture, a natural counterpoint to the glossy upper surfaces. This is one of the better surfaced lunar individuals we have handled, and it is offered exactly as found, a natural individual with no coating or stabilization.

Internally, the troctolitic anorthosite melt breccia classification records a violent surface history. Troctolitic anorthosite is built primarily from plagioclase feldspar with olivine, mineral phases that crystallized from the Moon's early magma ocean. A melt breccia is rock that was partially melted and welded back together by meteoroid bombardment, binding older crustal fragments into a single mass. The stone carries that history in its makeup, a sample of the lunar highlands assembled and shaped before it ever left the Moon.

Discovery and provenance

NWA 17706 was recovered in Algeria in 2024 and was approved as a lunar meteorite on 14 September 2025 and published in Meteoritical Bulletin 114. This individual is held in our internal classified inventory and is offered with Treasure Coast Meteorite Co. provenance and a certificate of authenticity documenting its classification. The full classification details are listed at the end of this description.

Scientific context, a piece of the Moon

Lunar meteorites provide direct samples of the Moon without the logistical constraints of a crewed mission. Where the Apollo program collected from six sites near the lunar equator, lunar meteorites arrive from random impact locations across the Moon's entire surface, sampling terrain no mission has visited. Troctolitic anorthosites in particular represent the Moon's primordial crust, formed when lighter plagioclase floated to the top of the global magma ocean while denser minerals sank to build the mantle. That differentiation, completed within the first hundred million years of lunar history, created the bright highlands still visible from Earth.

The melt breccia classification records the bombardment that followed. Repeated impacts delivered enough energy to partially melt surface rock, welding older crustal fragments into new masses like this one.The Meteoritical Bulletin database lists 830 lunar entries with a recorded mass as of September 2026, a count of database entries rather than separate falls. Further background is available in our lunar meteorites collection.

Frequently asked questions

Is this really from the Moon?
Yes. NWA 17706 is officially classified as a lunar troctolitic anorthosite melt breccia and is recorded in the Meteoritical Bulletin. The specimen includes a certificate of authenticity from Treasure Coast Meteorite Co.

How does this piece compare to the one you offered before?
It comes from the same documented lot of NWA 17706 and is a larger individual at 53.80 grams. The surface on this example is also more striking, with a glossy desert varnished surface and rounded depressions across the main face.

Does it have fusion crust?
No. It is offered as a natural individual with a desert varnished surface; the Meteoritical Bulletin records the rocks of NWA 17706 as lacking fusion crust.

What does troctolitic anorthosite mean?
It is a rock dominated by plagioclase feldspar with a significant olivine content. These minerals crystallized from the Moon's magma ocean roughly 4.4 billion years ago to form the primordial lunar crust.

What is included?
You receive the complete 53.80 gram individual and a certificate of authenticity documenting its classification and provenance.

Has the stone been coated or treated?
No. It is offered in natural condition, with no epoxy or stabilizing coating.

How do I verify this is the same specimen shown in these photographs?
This stone is recorded under serial TC-00015. Its specimen record is a permanent page holding the classification data as published in the Meteoritical Bulletin, the recorded weight, and photographs of this exact stone. Meteorite surfaces, cut faces and clast patterns are individual to each stone, so a specimen in hand can be compared against those photographs and weighed against the recorded figure.

Collector significance

Lunar meteorites are a small fraction of all classified meteorites, with 830 lunar entries carrying a recorded mass in the Meteoritical Bulletin database as of September 2026, and a complete individual carries the appeal of an entire stone rather than a cut fragment. This 53.80 gram piece brings together lunar origin, a complete individual form, a glossy desert varnished surface, and rounded depressions in a single specimen, with display presence well above the typical small fragment.

The troctolitic anorthosite classification ties this stone to the Moon's oldest crust, formed during the magma ocean stage before later bombardment cratered the surface. For a collector building a lunar section or focused on planetary formation, it is a substantial and well documented example. The classification can be reviewed in the Meteoritical Bulletin entry for NWA 17706. Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., IMCA #3323.

Specimen record

This specimen is serialized as TC-00015 and is issued with a certificate card bearing that serial. The serial indexes a permanent public record maintained by Treasure Coast Meteorite Co., and every issued serial is listed in the Specimen Registry.