Lunar Highlands - Classic Riker Box Specimen - Moon Meteorite NWA 5000

A Lunar Highlands Specimen With Real Moon Dust

This lunar highlands specimen is a hand-crafted resin Moon specimen. It holds fine lunar meteorite dust from NWA 5000, which came from the Moon's lighter highlands.

Product Details

• Specimen: Resin Moon containing dust from lunar meteorite NWA 5000
• Source: NWA 5000 lunar meteorite, a gabbroic rock typical of highlands origin, with evidence of impact melt
• Display: Glass-topped riker case, 4.5 in x 3.5 in
• Includes: Information card that serves as the authenticity statement
• Note: Each piece is handmade, so placement and texture may vary.

A Rock That Fell From the Moon

NWA 5000 is one of the largest known lunar meteorites. Argon isotope data show it crystallized after a large impact about 3.2 billion years ago. A second impact about 500 million years ago threw it toward Earth.

The NWA 5000 lunar meteorite is also called Northwest Africa 5000 in meteorite catalogs.

Light Highlands, Dark Seas

The Moon's bright highlands are made mostly of anorthosite. Scientists think they formed when a magma ocean cooled and lighter minerals floated to the top.

The dark patches, called mare, are igneous rock too. This resin Moon specimen shows the heavily cratered face. See more space pieces in our Natural History Collection.

Display and Care

Keep the lunar highlands specimen in its case and out of direct sun. Treat this lunar highlands specimen as a handmade keepsake.

About Lunar Meteorites

Lunar meteorites are Moon rocks blasted off by impacts and found on Earth. Each lunar meteorite dust specimen like this one holds a piece of another world.

For More Reading from the Web

• Read how the Moon's highlands crust may have formed from a global magma ocean. Japanese Lunar Mission Provides a Glimpse at How the Moon Took Shape - Scientific American
• Read the supplier's page on this specimen. Lunar Highlands Classic Riker Box Specimens - Mini Museum