MARTIAN METEORITES - NWA 15200 FOR SALE

About Martian Nakhlite Meteorites

Martian meteorites are rocks that originated on Mars, formed before being launched into space by asteroid impacts and eventually landing on Earth. Unsurprisingly, these meteorites are quite rare, comprising less than 0.5% of all classified meteorites, with the total weight of all known specimens only amounting to several hundred kilograms.

Visually, Martian meteorites closely resemble igneous rocks found on Earth. If you were to mix a Martian meteorite into a pile of terrestrial igneous rocks, you might have a hard time identifying it again! Consequently, most identified Martian meteorites have been discovered in areas with few natural rocks, such as sandy deserts (like the Sahara and Oman) and the Antarctic ice sheets. Their Martian origin is determined by their elemental and isotopic compositions, which closely match those of Martian rocks and atmospheric gases.

One particularly rare type of Martian meteorite is the nakhlite, named after the first specimen found near El Nakhla village in Egypt in 1911. Nakhlites are igneous rocks rich in augite and olivine, believed to have formed from basaltic magma on the Martian surface approximately 1.3 billion years ago.

Researchers have traced the potential source of nakhlites to a 6.5-kilometer crater in a volcanic region northwest of Elysium Mons, although they may also originate from the Tharsis or Syrtis Major Planum volcanic areas. These rocks were altered by water around 620 million years ago and were ejected from Mars roughly 11 million years ago due to an asteroid impact. All known nakhlites on Earth have fallen within the last 10,000 years.