A Meteorite From Mars
Explanation:
The famous Martian meteorite pictured above houses
microscopic structures interpreted by many as
fossils of ancient Martian life.
How do you find a
meteorite
from Mars here on
Earth?
On a typical day,
several large rocks fall
to Earth from space, usually winding up in the oceans.
If they do not burn up in the Earth's
atmosphere they are called
meteorites.
(Danger from
falling meteorites is rare: the average person would have to repair
meteorite damage to their home about every 100 million years.)
Most meteorites falling on land are never located or identified - appearing
similar to other rocks to the untrained eye. In certain places
in
Antarctica, however, meteorites stand out
from the white frozen ice and snow
beneath them, as if they were just left yesterday.
When the above meteorite was found in Antarctica, it was
considered unusual because of its grey color.
So far,
about 12 Martian meteorites of similar mineral compostion have
been found. One of these contains minute pockets of gases identical in
isotopic
composition to the Martian atmosphere as determined from the
Viking measurements -
implying the rocks indeed originated on Mars.
These Martian meteorites are typically 1.3 billion years old
or less, however, the one containing the potential microfossils
appears to have an age of about 4.5 billion years.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
