A HUGE COMPLETE SLICE OF A METEORITE FROM MARS . ...

Description

A HUGE COMPLETE SLICE OF A METEORITE FROM MARS
DAG 1037, Basaltic Shergottite
Dar al Gani, Sahara Desert, Libya
Found in 1999
This meteorite, identified and described in The Meteoritical Bulletin in 2004, is probably one of the most important Martian meteorites ever discovered, because it contains huge shock melt veins and gas vesicles which indicate that it was very close to, if not precisely at, the impact site of the giant asteroid believed to be the source of all meteorites from Mars. Unlike lunar meteorites where there are believed to be upwards of 35 source impact sites, all Martian meteorites are believed to be from one asteroid impact/source crater. The only way the surface rock could have been ejected into space from the surface of Mars, would be as a result of a huge asteroid impact on the planet's surface; the energy required to reach escape velocity is so enormous that normal meteorite impacts or volcanic explosions would not provide enough energy release. Such a huge asteroid impact would have had a catastrophic effect on the Martian environment and may be the cause of the loss of the Martian atmosphere and the disappearance of its surface water and possibly life. So these few meteorites from Mars (there are only 35 known in the world) may provide mute testament to the destruction of the Martian environment and extinction of its life forms. This specimen is one of the largest complete slices ever offered for sale and has a larger surface area than any Martian specimen in any American museum. The spinach-green color is reminiscent of jade and a black shock vein bisects one third of the specimen. The edges have the characteristic dark fusion crust formed from melting, ablation and cooling that occurred as the meteorite traversed the atmosphere and crash-landed in the Libyan desert. This exceptional specimen measures an impressive 67mm x 46mm (approximately 2⅝ x 1 13/16 inches) and weighs 10.98 grams.

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