A LUNAR METEORITE BELI💫EVED TO HAVE ORIGINATED FROM THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON

Lunar material is some of the rarest material to exist on our planet — only 1,536 kilograms (3,386 lb) of confirmed lunar meteorites currently exist on Earth. And, while six of the Apollo missions brought back 382 kilograms (842 lb) of so-called "Moon rocks" from their combined voyages, these samples of the Mo𝕴on are unavailable for private ownership. As a result, any piece of lunar material is exceedingly rare and highly sought after by both institutions and collectors.

This lunar meteorite slice comes from Shişr 162, the largest lunar meteorite ever found in Oman. Discovered on a gravel plateau of Miocene limestone, this meteorite is believed to have come from an area on the Far Side of the Moon as its geological makeup differs from the Moon rock samples collected during the Apo🌄llo missions. In addition, as a breccia made up of many different fragments of lunar material cemented together, it can give us remarkable insight into the different types of rocks found on the Moon.

Until the first lunar meteorite was identified on Earth on January 17, 1982, the g💮eologic history and surface composition of the Moon could only be studied from samples collected during the U.S. Apollo and Soviet Luna missions. Since these were exclusively harvested from the central near side of the Moon, the 1982 di♔scovery proved to be a crucial scientific breakthrough. Thanks to the progressive retrieval on Earth of meteorite fragments originating from all areas of the Moon, invaluable and previously unattainable information about lunar geology has since become available.

REFERENCES:

Garcia, S., J. Gross, and R.L. Korotev. “Shisr 162: A Glimpse Into Lunar Lithologies.” 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 2015.