[meteorite-list] FW: Mars and Meteors

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:29:52 2004
Message-ID: <20030909000710.11484.qmail_at_web80511.mail.yahoo.com>

In the following thread, some people may be more
comfortable with the term "meteoroid" in place of the
word "meteor" as it was being used in regards to Mars,
and for sure in regards to the Moon:

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meteorobs-digest Saturday, September 6 2003
Volume 04 : Number 1223

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Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2003 12:21:07 -0400
From: George Gliba <gliba_at_milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Mars and Meteors

On Fri, Sep 05, 2003 at 11:56:56AM -0400,
YoungBob2_at_aol.com wrote:
> Why isn't the Moon red?
> It's nearly black as coal, and I believe
> it has very little iron?

Good point. So, the "water contibution from meteors
[of which most originate] from comets has little
to contibute to oxidation"; then, it must be the
oxygen in the martian air.
Or is the atmosheric pressure on Mars enough to allow
water to vaporize and not just sublimate?

GWG

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Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2003 11:01:21 -0400
From: George Gliba <gliba_at_milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: (meteorobs) Mars and Meteors

   The Sky & Telescope News section of their website
has an interesting explanation of why Mars is red.
Called "Rusting Mars Without Water" by David Tytell,
it attributes the red of Mars to oxidation from
billions of years of ordinary chondritic meteorite
impacts. It mentions that the oxidation process
doesn't need water if "meteoritic iron releases an
electron when hit with ultraviolet radiation. If that
electron is captured by oxygen in the Martian
atmosphere before it can return to its source, the
iron atom becomes oxidized, or rusted. And it happens
without water".
This sounds possible, given that Mars has no plate
tectoics, but wouldn't the common meteors, which are
from comets, provide the water for oxidation too?
Anyway, it is an interesting theory. The The Sky &
Telescope article url is:

http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/article_1039_1.asp

GWG

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End of meteorobs-digest V4 #1223
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Received on Mon 08 Sep 2003 08:07:10 PM PDT