NWA 11616 MOON ROCK — UNUSUAL POLYMICT BRECCIA WITH RARE LUNAR MARE COMPONENT AND FUSION CRUST - photo 1

NWA 11616 MOON ROCK — UNUSUAL POLYMICT BRECCIA WITH RARE LUNAR MARE COMPONENT AND FUSION CRUST

Lot 52
23.02.2021 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 37 500
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 491262
Lot 52 | NWA 11616 MOON ROCK — UNUSUAL POLYMICT BRECCIA WITH RARE LUNAR MARE COMPONENT AND FUSION CRUST
Estimate value
$ 6 000 – 8 000
Material from the Moon is among the rarest substances on Earth, and now offered is a sample of a Moon rock ejected from the lunar surface following an asteroid impact. Lunar meteorites are identified by specific textural, mineralogical, chemical and isotopic signatures. There are 750 kg of lunar meteorites known to exist and a significant fraction are controlled by governmental institutions. Many of the common minerals found on Earth’s surface are rare on the Moon and some lunar minerals are unknown on Earth. While Apollo astronauts returned with 382 kg of Moon rocks, not one milligram is available for private ownership. In fact, the total amount of the Moon available to the private sector can be contained in several large footlockers.

North West Africa (NWA) 11616 was discovered in 2017. As described by the foremost classifier of lunar meteorites, Dr. Anthony Irving, along with his colleague, lunar geochemist Dr. Randy Korotev, this is a polymict fragmental breccia with separate olivine gabbro and rare olivine-free basaltic (lunar mare) clasts in a fragmental matrix.

Lunar meteorites that contain lunar mare material are exceedingly rare. This is because the dark basaltic plains from which they originate encompass only about 17% of the lunar surface.

This particular sample of the Moon contains both the lighter and darker materials we see when we look at the Moon. The lighter olivine gabbro clasts contain, in part, olivine, zoned clinopyroxene and maskelynite. The darker area is rare lunar basalt (lunar mare). A mixture of gabbro and regolith are also contained in this select sample. Cut on three sides, the edge of this wedge is covered in fusion crust, and the gabbro and mare sections exhibit crusts of different character, not previously documented on a lunar meteorite. Modern cutting. Lot 51 was cut from the same meteorite.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.

The analysis of this meteorite was led by Dr. Anthony Irving, whose findings underwent peer review by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society. The analysis and classification was published in the 107th edition of the Meteoritical Bulletin — the official registry of meteorites.

25 x 34 x 20mm (1 x 1.33 x 0.75 in.) and 29.38g
Category:Meteorite
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
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09.02.2021 – 23.02.2021
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