[meteorite-list] One-Of-A-Kind Meteorite Unveiled (Tagish Lake)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Apr 21 23:30:09 2006
Message-ID: <200604211818.LAA21639_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-04/uoa-omu042106.php

Public release date: 21-Apr-2006

Contact: Beverly Betkowski
beverly.betkowski_at_ualberta.ca
780-492-3808
University of Alberta

One-of-a-kind meteorite unveiled

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- The depths of space are much closer to home
following the University of Alberta's acquisition of a meteorite that is
the only one of its kind known to exist on Earth! What makes it so rare?
The meteorite is 'pristine' - that is, still frozen and uncontaminated -
and so provides an invaluable preserved record of material from when the
solar system formed 4.57 billion years ago.

The Tagish Lake Meteorite is carbonaceous chondrite and, as such,
represents primitive material from which the solar system formed. The
meteorite is rich in pre-solar grains - grains from other stars that
were present near our solar system when it formed. The meteorite
contains primitive molecules that are the building blocks of the
components necessary for life. The pristine state of the meteorite makes
it especially important for scientific research purposes; it presents an
unprecedented opportunity to look for extraterrestrial ices.

The University of Alberta, through the Department of Museums and
Collections Services and the Department of Earth and Atmospheric
Sciences, led a consortium of partners that, together, acquired the
pristine samples for mutual research and heritage interests. These
partners include the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Royal Ontario
Museum, Natural Resources Canada, and the Canadian Space Agency.

Dr. Christopher Herd, the Curator of the University of Alberta Meteorite
Collection, will lead future research on the University's approximately
650 grams of this unique extraterrestrial rock.

"What's fascinating about the Tagish Lake Meteorite is that it enables
us to probe the farthest reaches of our solar system by studying
material that has come to us,' noted Dr. Herd, a professor of Earth and
Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. The study of the
meteorite has the potential for revolutionizing our understanding of the
formation of the solar system. The meteorite fell on the frozen surface
of Tagish Lake, northern BC, in Canada on January 18, 2000.

###

The University of Alberta is home to Canada's second-largest meteorite
collection. Most recently, Dr. Herd has established a research program
in the study of meteorites from Mars; research in meteorites in the
collection and others on loan to the University continues to this day.
Expertise in other areas of space research reside on campus ranging from
the history of space exploration to the formation of dust devils on
Mars, and spanning the humanities, engineering and the sciences.

 
Received on Fri 21 Apr 2006 02:18:57 PM PDT