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.28" Martian Nakhlite Meteorite (0.44 g) - Hassi Messaoud 001
This is a .28" wide (0.44 grams), martian meteorite fragment from the Hassi Messaoud 001 fall. It comes in a small, acrylic case.
The Hassi Messaoud 001 Martian Meteorite
Hassi Messaoud 001 is a very rare type of Martian meteorite called a nakhlite, a kind of Martian meteorite likely sourced from large volcanic fields on Mars's surface. It is not only a rare kind of Martian meteorite, but very little of it has ever been found: about 75 grams of it were recovered near El Borma, Algeria on March 11, 2020. It was subsequently classified in 2021.
Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Hassi Messaoud 001
Hassi Messaoud 001 is a very rare type of Martian meteorite called a nakhlite, a kind of Martian meteorite likely sourced from large volcanic fields on Mars's surface. It is not only a rare kind of Martian meteorite, but very little of it has ever been found: about 75 grams of it were recovered near El Borma, Algeria on March 11, 2020. It was subsequently classified in 2021.
Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Hassi Messaoud 001
About Nakhilite Martian Meteorites
Martian meteorites are rocks that formed on Mars before being ejected by asteroid impacts, traveling through space and landing on Earth as a meteorite. As you might expect, Martian meteorites are quite rare, representing less than 0.5% of all classified meteorites. The combined weight of all known Martian meteorites is only several hundred kilograms.
Superficially, Martian meteorites look very similar to igneous rocks on Earth. Mix a Martian meteorite into a pile of igneous rocks found on Earth, and you may not find that meteorite again! Thus, nearly all Martian meteorites that have been identified were found in regions naturally devoid of rocks, like sandy deserts (Sahara Desert and Omen) and the Antarctic ice sheets. These meteorites are interpreted as Martian in origin because these have elemental and isotopic compositions similar to rocks and atmospheric gasses on Mars.
Nakhlites are an incredibly rare form of Martian meteorite named for the first of their kind, which fell near the village of El Nakhla in Egypt in 1911. They are igneous rocks rich in augite and olivine, formed from basaltic magma on the surface of Mars about 1.3 billion years ago.
Scientists have traced nakhlites' potential source to a 6.5-kilometer crater in a volcanic field northwest of Elysium Mons, though they could also be sourced from the Tharsis or Syrtis Major Planum volcanic constructs. Nakhlites were suffused with water about 620 million year ago, and were ejected from Mars about 11 million years ago by asteroid impact. All the known nakhlites on Earth have fallen here within the last 10,000 years.
Martian meteorites are rocks that formed on Mars before being ejected by asteroid impacts, traveling through space and landing on Earth as a meteorite. As you might expect, Martian meteorites are quite rare, representing less than 0.5% of all classified meteorites. The combined weight of all known Martian meteorites is only several hundred kilograms.
Superficially, Martian meteorites look very similar to igneous rocks on Earth. Mix a Martian meteorite into a pile of igneous rocks found on Earth, and you may not find that meteorite again! Thus, nearly all Martian meteorites that have been identified were found in regions naturally devoid of rocks, like sandy deserts (Sahara Desert and Omen) and the Antarctic ice sheets. These meteorites are interpreted as Martian in origin because these have elemental and isotopic compositions similar to rocks and atmospheric gasses on Mars.
Nakhlites are an incredibly rare form of Martian meteorite named for the first of their kind, which fell near the village of El Nakhla in Egypt in 1911. They are igneous rocks rich in augite and olivine, formed from basaltic magma on the surface of Mars about 1.3 billion years ago.
Scientists have traced nakhlites' potential source to a 6.5-kilometer crater in a volcanic field northwest of Elysium Mons, though they could also be sourced from the Tharsis or Syrtis Major Planum volcanic constructs. Nakhlites were suffused with water about 620 million year ago, and were ejected from Mars about 11 million years ago by asteroid impact. All the known nakhlites on Earth have fallen here within the last 10,000 years.
TYPE
Martian (Nakhlite)
LOCATION
El Borma, Algeria
SIZE
.28" wide, Weight: 0.44 grams
CATEGORY
ITEM
#263743
