Martian meteorite, shergottite - SNC, Sahara Desert, North West Africa
Infinitely more rare than diamonds or gold, meteorites from Mars are among the most exotic substances on Earth with less than 350 kg (770 lbs) known to exist, all of which could easily fit in the trunk of a large car. Scientists long suspected a group of meteorites with similarly unusual features had a planetary origin which wasn’t Earth, and it was believed these meteorites were either from Venus or Mars. Researchers correctly speculated an asteroid impact must have 'kicked' some of the material off one of the other planets, and as a result of the weaker gravity and thinner atmosphere of Mars (which meant less energy would be required to eject the specimens off the Martian surface), it was reasoned these unusual meteorites originated from the planet Mars.
And then there was proof! A suspected Martian meteorite contained impact glass and researchers determined that within the glass there were tiny bubbles, and within these tiny bubbles were tiny amounts of gas. The gas was analyzed and it matched perfectly with the signature of the Martian atmosphere, which we learned about as a result of NASA’s Viking space probes which were sent to Mars in the mid 1970s.
NWA 13885 has been authenticated by scientists of the Meteoritical Society—the foremost organization of meteorite researchers in the world. The cut and polished surface evidences coarse crystals with orange-brown olivine phenocrysts set in a light green-brown groundmass. A prominent vein of shock melt near the right margin extends longitudinally. This meteorite is primarily composed of pyroxene, olivine, ilmenite, chromite, troilite and the impact glass maskelynite, which is unknown to occur on Earth except in meteorites. As tremendous amounts of heat and pressure are required for maskelynite to form, this is consistent with a massive impact event on Mars which would explain the delivery mechanism of NWA 13885 to Earth.
This is an exemplary slice of a rock from the planet Mars.
101 x 64 x 3mm (4 x 2.5 x 0.1 in.) and 49.96 grams
The analysis of this meteorite was led by Dr. Carl Agee, Director of the Institute of Meteoritics. The classification was published in the 110th edition of the Meteoritical Bulletin — the registry of meteorites — which accompanies this offering.
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