Article Synopsis
- About 200 meteorites from Mars originate from about 10 different impact events, but their original locations are mostly unknown.
- Researchers used a combination of observations and modeling to identify source craters for various meteorite groups, finding that these meteorites come from lava flows within the top 26 meters of Mars' surface.
- The study links ejection-paired meteorites to specific craters and geological units, offering new insights into their origins and suggesting that there are likely undiscovered craters that could produce more Martian meteorites.
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Article Abstract
Approximately 200 meteorites come from ~10 impact events on the surface of Mars, yet their pre-ejection locations are largely unknown. Here, we combine the results of diverse sets of observations and modeling to constrain the source craters for several groups of martian meteorites. We compute that ejection-paired groups of meteorites are derived from lava flows within the top 26 m of the surface. We link ejection-paired groups to specific source craters and geologic units, providing context for these important samples, reconciling microscopic observations with remote sensing records, and demonstrating the potential to constrain the ages of their source geologic units. Furthermore, we show that there are craters that may have produced martian meteorites not represented in the world's meteorite collections that have yet to be discovered.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11328911 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn2378 | DOI Listing |
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