Northwest Africa 13974

Lunar, feldspathic melt breccia
Found in Northwest Africa, 2021

Northwest Africa 13974, an impact melt breccia, was found in the Western Sahara and multiple complete individuals were purchased by Adam Aaronson in Temara in 2021. Cut faces reveal a dark grey interior and a brecciated texture. Lunar breccias are typically found in areas where fragments of angular rock have been fused together, and the clasts found in this spectacular lunar include anorthite, rare on Earth but found widely on the Moon and compose the Lunar terrae, patches of bright white and light grey terrains on the Moon’s surface. The terrae are the ancient remnants of the lunar crust, which have been bombarded over billions of years by impacts large and small.