[meteorite-list] Color of Martian Meteorites

From: Bernd Pauli HD <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:48:10 2004
Message-ID: <3BBDFD0D.A5F23859_at_lehrer1.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>

Greg inquired:

> why do lunar meteorites look like moon rocks while Mars rocks do not
> (zagami- grey, nahkla- green and chassigny white). Why are the Mars
> rocks not a reddish color like their parent planet?

AL responded:

> The red color comes from oxidation on the surface of Mars (past
> moisture on the planet). Cut the rocks open on Mars and they look
> different just as Earth rocks look different than our blue looking
> planet. Not trying to be smart here but just illustrating to everyone.
> An impactor would also be excavating material deeper in than the
> outside regions.

Craig responded:

> the reddish tint we see on Mars is basically iron oxide, on the
> surface of the planet. What might lie below the surface, where
> the meteorites would have been "excavated" from during an impact


Hello Greg, AL, Craig, and List,

Another, additional aspect: Just take a look at those countless color
pictures taken from Mars orbit, or look through your backyard scopes -
the windswept areas on Mars, the areas where surficial sands have been
blown away, areas like Syrtis Major, etc., ... the do look grayish-green
or vice versa, greenish-gray!

On Friday, Jan 01, 1993, after I had been watching
Mars through several filters, I wrote into my logbook:

10 mm eyepiece + orange* filter + Barlow lens - a breathtaking
impression during moments of good atmospheric seeing with g r a y
and g r e e n hues visible within the dark areas around Sabaeus
Sinus and Meridiani Sinus.

* orange filters emphasize dark surface markings.


Best wishes,

Bernd
Received on Fri 05 Oct 2001 02:33:49 PM PDT