Hello, up for sale is NWA 13788, classified as a Lunar Melt Breccia!! This meteorite was found in December 2020 near Ouargla Algeria. It was a rather large find with many dark stones on the surface and light colored stones buried in the sand. This gorgeous individual weighs 1.686 grams, with regmaglypts, and has a dark martix. It has a highly dark melted look, which is very unique for Lunar. The impact melt texture of the sample would suggest that it was melted by impacts while either on the surface of the moon or excavated from the near-surface. The area it came from had to have been impacted at least twice; once to cause the melting, and a second time to launch it out of orbit. This lunar meteorite appears to have sampled near-surficial material from the moon with contributions from exogenous impactor material. This comes with a COA card and display case.

Name: Northwest Africa 13788

     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.

Abbreviation: NWA 13788

Observed fall: No

Year found: 2020

Country: Algeria

Mass: 2.6 kg

Northwest Africa 13788 (NWA 13788)

Ouargla, Algeria

Find: 2020 Dec

Classification: Lunar meteorite (melt breccia)

History: Purchased in 2021 by Matthew and Travis Stream from a meteorite dealer in Algeria.

Physical characteristics: Specimen contains a dark-brown fusion crust. An interior slice reveals light and dark clasts within a darker matrix.

Petrography: (D. Sheikh, FSU) Sample is an impact melt breccia composed of angular to sub-rounded mineral and lithic clasts (<4 mm) set in a predominantly vitreous matrix composed of brown, flow-banded, vesicular, partly devitrified glass and fine-grained crystalline impact melt. Lithic clasts consist primarily of anorthitic plagioclase (some partially coverted to maskelynite) with smaller quantities of olivine, pigeonite, low-Ca pyroxene, sub-calcic augite, and Si-Na-Ca-Mg-rich glass; a variety of lithic clasts were observed to display poikilitic, granulitic, dendritic, porphyritic, or subophitic textures in thin section. Accessory phases present include kamacite, troilite, chromite (some containing Ti), and ilmenite

Classification: Lunar (melt breccia).

Specimens: 20.3 g at Cascadia; main mass with Matthew and Travis Stream.

Data from:

  MB110

  Table 0

  Line 0:State/Prov/County:Ouargla

Date:2020 Dec

Mass (g):2600

Pieces:30

Class:Lunar (melt breccia)

Weathering grade:low

Fayalite (mol%):32.8±5.9Ferrosilite (mol%):34.5±13.1, 34.4±9.7, 28.6±9.2Wollastonite (mol%):2.9±1.5, 15.0±5.3, 31.8±4.5

Classifier:D. Sheikh, FSU

Type spec mass (g):20.3

Type spec location:Cascadia

Main mass:Matthew Stream

Comments:Submitted by Daniel Sheikh

Institutions and collections

Cascadia: Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory, Portland State University, Department of Geology