[meteorite-list] Meteorites on Mars

From: Francis Graham <francisgraham_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:59 2004
Message-ID: <20040107192435.87451.qmail_at_web40105.mail.yahoo.com>

  I guess this is a question/comment mostly for Ron
and others concerned with Spirit, although it seems
like something for all to consider and input.
   Looking at the large field of rocks in Gusev on the
Spirit images undoubtedly a very small fraction may be
meteorites on Mars.
   Certainly the major reason to go to Mars is to
study Mars rocks. But is there any plan to examine a
meteorite on Mars (from a place other than Mars) if
one is encountered by sheer chance?
   Such an examination might not be a waste of
precious rover time. We know how meteorites,
especially iron meteorites, of known composition,
weather on Earth in various climates. Meteorites of
identical composition should weather differently on
Mars (with little oxygen in the atmosphere, different
pressure, water vapor content, etc.) I'm thinking,
that a comparison of the two may well help us
understand Mars in the past as well, if well-weathered
meteorites are found on Mars. Especially the recent
past, while the Earth was going through the last
glacial epoch, alteration of meteorites on Mars might
tell us what was happening on Mars in that time-scale.

   Anyway, it seems like a reasonable idea to ponder,
in the improbable, but not impossible, situation that
the Spirit rover or any future geophysical rover
encounters a substantial meteorite on Mars.
   I know such meteoric fragments are common on the
Moon. What do the Mars experts have in mind?

Francis Graham






   

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Received on Wed 07 Jan 2004 02:24:35 PM PST