.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Less than 900 kg of lunar meteorites are known to exist. A significant portion of these rocks is controlled by governmental institutions and all would fit in the back of a large SUV. While Apollo astronauts returned with 382 kg of Moon rocks, not one milligram of this material is available for private ownership. In short, the Moon is amongst the rarest substances on Earth.
In December 2019, approximately 400 kilometers from Timbuktu — a clutch of unusual dark stones was discovered in the wadi of Tisserlitine. Forty-six stones were collected; Forty-four of them were extremely small with a total weight of less than 4 kilograms. Of the two remaining stones, the second largest weighed about the same as the total of the 44 smaller rocks (4 kg) but the mass of the largest was ten times greater: 40.026 kg (88 lbs).
Scientific analysis revealed that every one of these rocks were fragments of the Moon. They were delivered to Earth after being blasted off the lunar surface after the impact of an asteroid or comet. The 40kg rock from which this slice is derived was the second largest piece of the Moon on Earth —nearly four times larger than the largest Moon rock returned to Earth by an Apollo mission. The research scientist who analyzed these samples, Dr. Anthony Irving, is the world’s most renowned classifier of meteorites from the Moon and Mars.
Scientists identify Moon rocks by their specific textural, mineralogical, chemical and isotopic signatures. Many of the common minerals found on Earth’s surface are rare or absent on the Moon and some lunar minerals are unknown on Earth. In addition, Moon rocks contain gases captured from the solar wind with isotope ratios very different from those same gases on Earth.
Because lunar samples are extremely uncommon, and large lunar samples exceedingly so, it was decided to subdivide the largest mass into seven slabs primarily for museums. These slices are handily the largest cut and polished samples of lunar material that exist: the surface area of these specimens is more than twice that of any previously existing slice of a Moon rock.
As a result of the ongoing pulverization that occurred on the Moon’s surface from asteroid and comet bombardment, different degrees of brecciation and melting are seen in lunar samples. Now offered is a novel presentation — no other lunar samples look quite like this meteorite; the relatively high degree of impact melting as evidenced by its monochromatic homogeneity fits into a gap of presentations. This breccia is composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, pigeonite, subcalcic augite, augite and orthopyroxene, plus sparse lithic clasts of spinel troctolite, set in a fine-grained microvesicular matrix containing accessory altered kamacite, troilite, taenite and pentlandite.
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 109th edition of the Meteoritical Bulletin — the official registry of meteorites.
In December 2019, approximately 400 kilometers from Timbuktu — a clutch of unusual dark stones was discovered in the wadi of Tisserlitine. Forty-six stones were collected; Forty-four of them were extremely small with a total weight of less than 4 kilograms. Of the two remaining stones, the second largest weighed about the same as the total of the 44 smaller rocks (4 kg) but the mass of the largest was ten times greater: 40.026 kg (88 lbs).
Scientific analysis revealed that every one of these rocks were fragments of the Moon. They were delivered to Earth after being blasted off the lunar surface after the impact of an asteroid or comet. The 40kg rock from which this slice is derived was the second largest piece of the Moon on Earth —nearly four times larger than the largest Moon rock returned to Earth by an Apollo mission. The research scientist who analyzed these samples, Dr. Anthony Irving, is the world’s most renowned classifier of meteorites from the Moon and Mars.
Scientists identify Moon rocks by their specific textural, mineralogical, chemical and isotopic signatures. Many of the common minerals found on Earth’s surface are rare or absent on the Moon and some lunar minerals are unknown on Earth. In addition, Moon rocks contain gases captured from the solar wind with isotope ratios very different from those same gases on Earth.
Because lunar samples are extremely uncommon, and large lunar samples exceedingly so, it was decided to subdivide the largest mass into seven slabs primarily for museums. These slices are handily the largest cut and polished samples of lunar material that exist: the surface area of these specimens is more than twice that of any previously existing slice of a Moon rock.
As a result of the ongoing pulverization that occurred on the Moon’s surface from asteroid and comet bombardment, different degrees of brecciation and melting are seen in lunar samples. Now offered is a novel presentation — no other lunar samples look quite like this meteorite; the relatively high degree of impact melting as evidenced by its monochromatic homogeneity fits into a gap of presentations. This breccia is composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, pigeonite, subcalcic augite, augite and orthopyroxene, plus sparse lithic clasts of spinel troctolite, set in a fine-grained microvesicular matrix containing accessory altered kamacite, troilite, taenite and pentlandite.
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 109th edition of the Meteoritical Bulletin — the official registry of meteorites.