Laâyoune 002 0.443g

Description

Laâyoune is the largest city in Western Sahara and is thought to have been founded by Spanish captain Antonio de Pro in 1938. The name means “the springs,” referring to the oases that furnish the city with water. In January of 2022, stones were purchased from the finder by Aziz Habibi. Laâyoune 002 stones have a grey exterior with striking white clasts; this feldspathic breccia’s composition includes known minerals to lunar meteorites, like anorthite. 1971, astronauts James Irwin and David Scott (Apollo 15) collected what is now known as the Genesis Rock (sample 15415) from Spur crater. Analysis concluded that the rock is make up of anorthosite, which is composed mostly of anorthite. This material is what the lunar highlands, the light colored material on the Moon’s surface, is mostly made of. These highlands are older than the darker plains on the Moon, and hence display more craters. The lunar highlands are also the site where many volcanic lava tube skylights have been found.