# Moon rock

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For other uses, see [Moonrock (disambiguation)](/source/Moonrock_(disambiguation)).

Not to be confused with [Moonstone](/source/Moonstone_(disambiguation)).

Main article: [Geology of the Moon](/source/Geology_of_the_Moon)

**Moon rock** or **lunar rock** is rock originating from [Earth's Moon](/source/Moon). This includes lunar material collected during the course of human [exploration of the Moon](/source/Moon_landing), and rock that has been ejected naturally from the Moon's surface and landed on Earth as [lunar meteorites](/source/Meteorite).

## Sources

Moon rocks on Earth come from four sources: those collected by six [United States](/source/United_States) [Apollo program](/source/Apollo_program) crewed lunar landings from 1969 to 1972; those collected by three [Soviet](/source/Soviet_Union) uncrewed [Luna](/source/Luna_programme) probes in the 1970s; those collected by the [Chinese Lunar Exploration Program](/source/Chinese_Lunar_Exploration_Program)'s uncrewed probes; and rocks that were ejected naturally from the lunar surface before falling to Earth as [lunar meteorites](/source/Lunar_meteorite).[citation needed]

### Apollo program

Six Apollo missions collected 2,200 samples of material weighing 381 kilograms (840 lb) through the use of the [Apollo Lunar Sample Return Container](/source/Apollo_Lunar_Sample_Return_Container),[1] and processed into more than 110,000 individually cataloged samples.[2]

Mission Site Sample mass returned[1] Year Apollo 11 Mare Tranquillitatis 21.55 kg (47.51 lb) 1969 Apollo 12 Ocean of Storms 34.30 kg (75.62 lb) 1969 Apollo 14 Fra Mauro formation 42.80 kg (94.35 lb) 1971 Apollo 15 Hadley–Apennine 76.70 kg (169.10 lb) 1971 Apollo 16 Descartes Highlands 95.20 kg (209.89 lb) 1972 Apollo 17 Taurus–Littrow 110.40 kg (243.40 lb) 1972

### Luna program

Three Luna spacecraft returned with a total of 301 grams (10.6 oz) of samples.[3][4][5]

Mission Site Sample mass returned Year Luna 16 Mare Fecunditatis 101 g (3.6 oz)[6] 1970 Luna 20 Mare Fecunditatis 30 g (1.1 oz)[7] 1972 Luna 24 Mare Crisium 170 g (6.0 oz)[8] 1976

The Soviet Union abandoned its attempts at a [crewed lunar program](/source/Soviet_crewed_lunar_programs) in the 1970s, but succeeded in landing three robotic [Luna spacecraft](/source/Luna_programme) with the capability to collect and return small samples to Earth. A combined total of less than half a kilogram of material was returned.

In 1993, three small rock fragments from [Luna 16](/source/Luna_16), weighing 200 mg, were sold for [US$](/source/United_States_dollar) 442,500 at [Sotheby's](/source/Sotheby's) ().[9] In 2018, the same three Luna 16 rock fragments sold for [US$](/source/United_States_dollar) 855,000 at Sotheby's ().[10]

### Chang'e missions

See also: [Changesite–(Y)](/source/Changesite%E2%80%93(Y))

Mission Site Sample mass returned Year Chang'e 5 Mons Rümker 1,731 g (3.8 lb)[11] 2020 Chang'e 6 Southern Apollo crater 1,935.3 g (4.3 lb)[12][13] 2024

In 2020, [Chang'e 5](/source/Chang'e_5), the fifth [lunar exploration](/source/Lunar_exploration) mission of the [Chinese Lunar Exploration Program](/source/Chinese_Lunar_Exploration_Program), returned approximately 1,731 g (61.1 oz) of rocks and dust from the Oceanus Procellarum, (the Ocean of Storms), the largest dark region on the Moon, visible on the western edge.[14] The Chang'e-5 samples contain 'perplexing combination' of minerals and include the sixth new lunar mineral, named Changesite-(Y). This phosphate mineral characterized by colorless, transparent columnar crystals.[14] Researchers estimated the peak pressure (11-40 GPa) and impact duration (0.1-1.0 second) of the collision that shaped the sample. Using shock wave models, they estimated the resulting crater to be between 3 and 32 kilometers wide, depending on the impact angle.[15]

The follow-up mission to Chang'e 5, [Chang'e 6](/source/Chang'e_6), reached the Moon on May 8, 2024, and entered lunar orbit for 20 days to find an appropriate landing site.[12] On 1 June 2024, the lander separated from the orbiter and landed on a mare unit at the southern part of the Apollo crater (36.1°S, 208.3°E).[16] The mission objective was to collect about 2 kg of material from the [far side of the Moon](/source/Far_side_of_the_Moon) and bring it back to Earth.

The Chang’e-6 probe withstood the high temperatures and collected the samples by drilling into the Moon's surface and scooping soil and rocks with a mechanical arm, according to a statement from the [China National Space Administration](/source/China_National_Space_Administration) (CNSA).[17]

The samples were placed in the ascent vehicle, which docked with the Chang'e 6 orbiter-return vehicle on June 6, 2024[12] China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe, carrying the first lunar rocks ever collected from the far side of the Moon, landed in [China's Inner Mongolia region](/source/Inner_Mongolia) on June 25, 2024.

### Lunar meteorites

More than 370 lunar meteorites have been collected on Earth,[18] representing more than 30 different meteorite [finds](/source/Find_(meteorite)) (no [falls](/source/Fall_(meteorite))), with a total mass of over 1,090 kilograms (2,400 lb).[19] Some were discovered by scientific teams (such as [ANSMET](/source/ANSMET)) searching for meteorites in [Antarctica](/source/Antarctica), with most of the remainder discovered by collectors in the desert regions of northern [Africa](/source/Africa) and [Oman](/source/Oman). A Moon rock known as "NWA 12691", which weighs 13.5 kilograms (30 lb), was found in the [Sahara Desert](/source/Sahara_Desert) at the Algerian and Mauritanian borders in January 2017,[20] and went on sale for $2.5 million in 2020.[21]

## Dating

Rocks from the Moon have been measured by [radiometric dating](/source/Radiometric_dating) techniques. They range in age from about 3.16 billion years old for the [basaltic](/source/Basalt) samples derived from the [lunar maria](/source/Lunar_maria), up to about 4.44 billion years old for rocks derived from the highlands.[22] Based on the age-dating technique of "crater counting," the youngest basaltic eruptions are believed to have occurred about 1.2 billion years ago,[23] but scientists do not possess samples of these lavas. In contrast, the [oldest ages of rocks from the Earth](/source/Hadean) are between 3.8 and 4.28 billion years.

## Composition

Main article: [Geology of the Moon](/source/Geology_of_the_Moon)

Common lunar minerals[24] Mineral Elements Lunar rock appearance Plagioclase feldspar Calcium (Ca) Aluminium (Al) Silicon (Si) Oxygen (O) White to transparent gray; usually as elongated grains. Pyroxene Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg) Calcium (Ca) Silicon (Si) Oxygen (O) Maroon to black; the grains appear more elongated in the maria and more square in the highlands. Olivine Iron (Fe) Magnesium (Mg) Silicon (Si) Oxygen (O) Greenish color; generally, it appears in a rounded shape. Ilmenite Iron (Fe), Titanium (Ti) Oxygen (O) Black, elongated square crystals.

Moon rocks fall into two main categories: those found in the lunar highlands (terrae), and those in the [maria](/source/Lunar_mare). The terrae consist dominantly of [mafic](/source/Mafic) [plutonic](/source/Plutonic) rocks. Regolith [breccias](/source/Breccia) with similar [protoliths](/source/Protolith) are also common. Mare basalts come in three distinct series in direct relation to their titanium content: *[high-Ti basalts](/source/High-Ti_basalt), low-Ti basalts*, and *Very Low-Ti (VLT) basalts*.

Almost all lunar rocks are depleted in [volatiles](/source/Volatile_(astrogeology)) and are completely lacking in [hydrated minerals](/source/Mineral_hydration) common in Earth rocks. In some regards, lunar rocks are closely related to Earth's rocks in their isotopic composition of the element [oxygen](/source/Oxygen). The Apollo Moon rocks were collected using a variety of tools, including [hammers](/source/Hammers), [rakes](/source/Rake_(tool)), [scoops](/source/Scoop_(tool)), [tongs](/source/Tongs), and [core tubes](/source/Core_sample). Most were photographed prior to collection to record the condition in which they were found. They were placed inside sample bags and then a *Special Environmental Sample Container* for return to the Earth to protect them from contamination. In contrast to the Earth, large portions of the lunar crust appear to be composed of rocks with high concentrations of the mineral [anorthite](/source/Anorthite). The mare basalts have relatively high [iron](/source/Iron) values. Furthermore, some of the mare basalts have very high levels of [titanium](/source/Titanium) (in the form of [ilmenite](/source/Ilmenite)).[25]

### Highlands rocks

Mineral composition of Highland rocks[24] Plagioclase Pyroxene Olivine Ilmenite Anorthosite 90% 5% 5% 0% Norite 60% 35% 5% 0% Troctolite 60% 5% 35% 0%

Primary igneous rocks in the lunar highlands compose three distinct groups: the ferroan anorthosite suite, the magnesian suite, and the alkali suite.

Lunar breccias, formed largely by the immense basin-forming impacts, are dominantly composed of highland [lithologies](/source/Lithology) because most mare basalts post-date basin formation (and largely fill these impact basins).

- The *ferroan anorthosite suite* consists almost exclusively of the rock *[anorthosite](/source/Anorthosite)* (>90% calcic plagioclase) with less common *anorthositic [gabbro](/source/Gabbro)* (70-80% calcic plagioclase, with minor pyroxene). The ferroan anorthosite suite is the most common group in the highlands, and is inferred to represent plagioclase flotation [cumulates](/source/Cumulate_rock) of the lunar magma ocean, with interstitial mafic phases formed from trapped interstitial melt or rafted upwards with the more abundant plagioclase framework. The plagioclase is extremely calcic by terrestrial standards, with molar anorthite contents of 94–96% (An94–96). This reflects the extreme depletion of the bulk Moon in alkalis (Na, K) as well as water and other volatile elements. In contrast, the mafic minerals in this suite have low Mg/Fe ratios that are inconsistent with calcic plagioclase compositions. Ferroan anorthosites have been dated using the internal isochron method at circa 4.4 Ga.
- The *magnesian suite* (or "*Mg-suite*) consists of *[dunites](/source/Dunite)* (>90% olivine), *[troctolites](/source/Troctolite)* (olivine-plagioclase), and *[gabbros](/source/Gabbro)* (plagioclase-pyroxene) with relatively high Mg/Fe ratios in the mafic minerals and a range of plagioclase compositions that are still generally calcic (An86–93). These rocks represent later intrusions into the highlands crust (ferroan anorthosite) at round 4.3–4.1 Ga. An interesting aspect of this suite is that analysis of the trace element content of plagioclase and pyroxene requires equilibrium with a [KREEP](/source/KREEP)-rich magma, despite the refractory major element contents.
- The *alkali suite* is so-called because of its high alkali content—for Moon rocks. The alkali suite consists of *alkali [anorthosites](/source/Anorthosite)* with relatively sodic plagioclase (An70–85), *[norites](/source/Norite)* (plagioclase-orthopyroxene), and *[gabbronorites](/source/Gabbronorite)* (plagioclase-clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene) with similar plagioclase compositions and mafic minerals more iron-rich than the magnesian suite. The trace element content of these minerals also indicates a KREEP-rich parent magma. The alkali suite spans an age range similar to the magnesian suite.
- *Lunar granites* are relatively rare rocks that include [diorites](/source/Diorite), monzodiorites, and [granophyres](/source/Granophyre). They consist of quartz, plagioclase, orthoclase or alkali feldspar, rare mafics (pyroxene), and rare zircon. The alkali feldspar may have unusual compositions unlike any terrestrial feldspar, and they are often Ba-rich. These rocks apparently form by the extreme [fractional crystallization](/source/Fractional_crystallization_(geology)) of magnesian suite or alkali suite magmas, although liquid immiscibility may also play a role. U-Pb date of [zircons](/source/Zircon) from these rocks and from lunar soils have ages of 4.1–4.4 Ga, more or less the same as the magnesian suite and alkali suite rocks. In the 1960s, NASA researcher John A. O'Keefe and others linked lunar granites with tektites found on Earth although many researchers refuted these claims. According to one study, a portion of lunar sample 12013 has a chemistry that closely resembles javanite tektites found on Earth.[citation needed]
- *Lunar breccias* range from glassy vitrophyre melt rocks, to glass-rich breccia, to regolith breccias. The vitrophyres are dominantly glassy rocks that represent impact melt sheets that fill large impact structures. They contain few clasts of the target lithology, which is largely melted by the impact. Glassy breccias form from impact melt that exit the crater and entrain large volumes of crushed (but not melted) ejecta. It may contain abundant clasts that reflect the range of lithologies in the target region, sitting in a matrix of mineral fragments plus glass that welds it all together. Some of the clasts in these breccias are pieces of older breccias, documenting a repeated history of impact brecciation, cooling, and impact. Regolith breccias resemble the glassy breccias but have little or no glass (melt) to weld them together. As noted above, the basin-forming impacts responsible for these breccias pre-date almost all mare basalt volcanism, so clasts of mare basalt are very rare. When found, these clasts represent the earliest phase of mare basalt volcanism preserved.

### Mare basalts

Mineral composition of mare basalts[24] Plagioclase Pyroxene Olivine Ilmenite High titanium content 30% 54% 3% 18% Low titanium content 30% 60% 5% 5% Very low titanium content 35% 55% 8% 2%

*Mare basalts* are named as such because they frequently constitute large portions of the [lunar maria](/source/Lunar_maria). These typically contain 18–21 percent [FeO](/source/Iron(II)_oxide) by weight, and 1–13 percent [TiO2](/source/Titanium_dioxide). They are similar to terrestrial basalts, but have many important differences; for example, mare basalts show a large negative [europium anomaly](/source/Europium_anomaly). The type location is [Mare Crisium](/source/Mare_Crisium) sampled by [Luna 24](/source/Luna_24).

- *[KREEP](/source/KREEP) Basalts* (and borderline *VHK (Very High K) basalts*) have extraordinary potassium content. These contain 13–16 percent [Al2O3](/source/Aluminum_oxide), 9–15 percent FeO, and are enriched in magnesium and incompatible elements (potassium, phosphorus and rare earth elements) 100–150 times compared to ordinary chondrite meteorites.[26] These are commonly encountered around the [Oceanus Procellarum](/source/Oceanus_Procellarum), and are identified in [remote sensing](/source/Remote_sensing) by their high (about 10 ppm) thorium contents. Most of incompatible elements in [KREEP](/source/KREEP) basalts are incorporated in the grains of the phosphate minerals [apatite](/source/Apatite) and [merrillite](/source/Merrillite).[27]

## Curation and availability

The main repository for the Apollo Moon rocks is the [Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility](/source/Lunar_Sample_Laboratory_Facility) at the [Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center](/source/Lyndon_B._Johnson_Space_Center) in [Houston, Texas](/source/Houston,_Texas). For safekeeping, there is also a smaller collection stored at [White Sands Test Facility](/source/White_Sands_Test_Facility) in [Las Cruces, New Mexico](/source/Las_Cruces,_New_Mexico). Most of the rocks are stored in nitrogen to keep them free of moisture. They are handled only indirectly, using special tools.

Some Moon rocks from the Apollo missions are displayed in museums, and a few allow visitors to touch them. One of these, called the *Touch Rock*, is displayed in the [Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum](/source/Smithsonian_National_Air_and_Space_Museum) in Washington, D.C.[28] The idea of having touchable Moon rocks at a museum was suggested by Apollo scientist [Farouk El-Baz](/source/Farouk_El-Baz), who was inspired by his childhood [pilgrimage to Mecca](/source/Hajj) where he touched the [Black Stone](/source/Black_Stone) (which in [Islam](/source/Islam) is believed to be sent down from the heavens).[29]

Moon rocks collected during the course of lunar exploration are currently considered priceless.[28] In 2002, a safe was stolen from the Lunar Sample Building that contained minute samples of lunar and [Martian material](/source/Mars_meteorite). The samples were recovered, and NASA estimated their value during the ensuing court case at about $1 million for 10 oz (280 g) of material.[citation needed]

Naturally transported Moon rocks in the form of lunar meteorites are sold and traded among private collectors.[citation needed]

## Goodwill Moon rocks

Main article: [Lunar sample displays](/source/Lunar_sample_displays)

Apollo 17 astronauts [Eugene Cernan](/source/Eugene_Cernan) and [Harrison Schmitt](/source/Harrison_Schmitt) picked up a rock "composed of many fragments, of many sizes, and many shapes, probably from all parts of the Moon". This rock was later labeled sample 70017.[30] President Nixon ordered that fragments of that rock should be distributed in 1973 to all 50 US states and 135 foreign heads of state. The fragments were presented encased in an acrylic sphere, mounted on a wood plaque which included the recipients' flag which had also flown aboard Apollo 17.[31] Many of the presentation Moon rocks are now unaccounted for, [having been stolen or lost](/source/Stolen_and_missing_Moon_rocks).

## Discoveries

Four minerals were discovered from the Moon: [armalcolite](/source/Armalcolite), [tranquillityite](/source/Tranquillityite), [pyroxferroite](/source/Pyroxferroite), and [Changesite-(Y)](/source/Changesite-(Y)). Armalcolite was named for the three [astronauts](/source/Astronaut) on the [Apollo 11](/source/Apollo_11) mission: [**Arm**strong](/source/Neil_Armstrong), [**Al**drin](/source/Buzz_Aldrin) and [**Col**lins](/source/Michael_Collins_(astronaut)).

## Stolen and missing Moon rocks

Main article: [Stolen and missing Moon rocks](/source/Stolen_and_missing_Moon_rocks)

Because of their rarity on Earth and the difficulty of obtaining more, Moon rocks have been frequent targets of [theft](/source/Theft) and [vandalism](/source/Vandalism), and many have gone missing or were stolen.

## See also

- [Sample-return mission](/source/Sample-return_mission)
- [Bench Crater meteorite](/source/Bench_Crater_meteorite)
- [Geology of the Moon](/source/Geology_of_the_Moon)
- [Hadley Rille meteorite](/source/Hadley_Rille_meteorite)
- [Helium-3](/source/Helium-3)
- [List of Apollo lunar sample displays](/source/List_of_Apollo_lunar_sample_displays)
- [List of individual rocks](/source/List_of_individual_rocks)
- [Lunar water](/source/Lunar_water)
- [Lunar Receiving Laboratory](/source/Lunar_Receiving_Laboratory)
- [Lunar regolith simulant](/source/Lunar_regolith_simulant)
- [Lunar resources](/source/Lunar_resources)
- [Lunar regolith](/source/Lunar_regolith)
- [Portal 2](/source/Portal_2)

## References

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1. ["THE ONLY KNOWN DOCUMENTED SAMPLES OF THE MOON AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE OWNERSHIP"](https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/space-and-exploration-n09897/lot.63.html). *Sothebys.com*. 29 November 2018.

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1. ["Northwest Africa 12691"](https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=70472). *The Meteoritical Society*

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1. Lucey, Paul; Korotev, Randy; Taylor, Larry et al. (2006). "understanding the lunar surface and Space-Moon Interactions". *Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry*. **60** (1): 100. [Bibcode:2006RvMG...60...83L](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006RvMG...60...83L). [doi:10.2138/rmg.2006.60.2](https://doi.org/10.2138/rmg.2006.60.2)

1. Grossman, Lisa (2019-07-15). ["How NASA has kept Apollo Moon rocks safe from contamination for 50 years"](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa-apollo-anniversary-moon-rocks-preservation). *Science News*. Retrieved 2019-07-31.

1. Reichhardt, Tony (June 7, 2019). ["Twenty People Who Made Apollo Happen"](https://www.airspacemag.com/airspacemag/twenty-people-who-made-apollo-happen-180972374/). *[Air & Space/Smithsonian](/source/Air_%26_Space/Smithsonian)*. [Smithsonian Institution](/source/Smithsonian_Institution). Retrieved 7 September 2019.

1. Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science. ["70017 Ilmenite Basalt"](https://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/lsc/70017.pdf). NASA.

1. ["Where are the Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rocks?"](http://www.collectspace.com/resources/moonrocks_goodwill.html). Collect Space.

### General sources

- Marc Norman (April 21, 2004). ["The Oldest Moon Rocks"](http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/April04/lunarAnorthosites.html). Planetary Science Research Discoveries.
- Paul D. Spudis, *The Once and Future Moon*, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996, ISBN 1-56098-634-4.

## External links

- [Rocks & Soils from the Moon](http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/)—Johnson Space Center
- [Apollo Geology Tool Catalog](http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/tools/Welcome.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20060928230108/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/tools/Welcome.html) September 28, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- [Lunar meteorites](http://meteorites.wustl.edu/lunar/moon_meteorites.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110413054517/http://meteorites.wustl.edu/lunar/moon_meteorites.htm) April 13, 2011 at the Wayback Machine—Washington University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
- [Lunar Samples](http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/samples/) Lunar and Planetary Institute
- [Articles about Moon rocks in Planetary Science Research Discoveries](http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Archive/Archive-Moon.html) educational journal
- [Where Today are the Apollo 11 Lunar Sample Displays?](http://www.collectspace.com/resources/moonrocks_apollo11.html) collectSPACE
- [Where Today are the Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rocks?](http://www.collectspace.com/resources/moonrocks_goodwill.html) collectSPACE
- Kentucky's lunar sample displays in the Kentucky Historical Society objects catalog: [Apollo 11](http://kyhistory.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/EB099A9E-763C-4C6F-9798-809260993416), [Apollo 17](http://kyhistory.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/375C9EA9-7993-4986-9A3F-766412309205)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Moon rock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rock) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rock?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.