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Amgala 001 Martian Meteorite
Whole Rock Specimen
50 mm x 30 mm x 20 mm
47.2 grams
A large asteroid impacted Mars long ago and dislodged a rock from the Martian surface with enough energy to escape the atmosphere and gravity well of Mars. Most Martian material remains in roughly a Martian orbit for most impact angles. But in this case, the rock orbited the sun for millions of years in an elliptical orbit, and by luck, landed on Earth. Only 0.4% of meteorites are from Mars, making them more rare than pure diamond on Earth!
From the geochemistry and analysis of various isotopes, we can deduce the origin and transit time of interstellar objects. The meteorites from Mars exhibit precise elemental and isotopic compositions similar to rocks analyzed by spacecraft on Mars, starting with the Viking lander in 1976. Compared to other meteorites, the Martians have younger formation ages, unique oxygen isotopic composition (consistent for Mars and not for Earth), and the presence of aqueous weathering products.
The formation ages of meteorites can come from their cosmic-ray exposure (CRE), measured from the nuclear products of interactions of the meteorite in space with energetic cosmic ray particles. This one is particularly young, having crystallized only 180 million years ago, suggesting that volcanic activity was still present on Mars at that time. Volcanic flows are the youngest part of a planet, and this one happened to be hit by a meteor impact, ejecting the youthful Mars.
Amgala 001 has been analyzed by Tony Irving of the University of Washington’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and classified in the Meteoritical Bulletin as a Martian meteorite (shergottite). It was found December 2022 in Western Sahara near Meharrize and purchased by Mark Lyon, the source of this meteorite.
Amgala 001 has a weathered exterior with a knobby appearance. The interior is greenish gray in color with darker olivine phenocrysts visible. Opaque shock veins crisscross the specimens and there are also calcium veinlets. Amgala 001 has a low terrestrial weathering grade.
