Meteorites

Question 1

SNC Meteorite

Answer 1

• meteorites from Mars craters land on Earth
• group 347 meteorites
• types of meteorites
  Shergotty
  Nakhla
  Chassigny

Question 2

Shergotty

Answer 2

• basaltic to ultramafic rocks
• common
• formed near Martian surface
• most are less than 600 million years

Question 3

Nakhlites and Chassignites

Answer 3

• 1.5 to 1.3 billion years old
• Igneous rocks

Question 4

ALH84001

Answer 4

• igneous ultramafic rock
• 4.1 billion years old
• altered by water at 3.9 GA
• forming carbonate
• believed to hold life

Question 5

Polymictic Regolith Breccia

Answer 5

• martian rocks jumbled by impact - clump
• complex
• contains old samples of Martian crust

Question 6

Mars Rock Tag

Answer 6

• as rocks pass through atmosphere tagged by martian gases

Question 7

Chondritic

Answer 7

• 3 classes of cosmic sediment: carbonaceous, ordinary, and enstatite
• chondrules
  most abundant material in chondrites (minerals)
• EX: Murchinson Australia, 1969
  carbon rich chondrite fell to Earth - 100 kg

Question 8

Importance of Chondritic Meteorites

Answer 8

• contain important liquids
• include volatile compounds
• may have ben thermally/aqueosly altered
• represent bulk composition of parent

Question 9

Comets

Answer 9

• comprised mainly of water in ice form and CO2 ice
• also: variety of volatile compounds made from CHNOPS