Tag Archives: Mars meteorites

Opal-A found in Mars meteorite Nakhla

Posted on July 16, 2015 by rburnham

Scientists have discovered for the first time direct physical evidence of the existence of opals on Mars. The traces of the precious stone, which were found in a Martian meteorite, could help future exploration missions decide where to look for … Continue reading →

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Evidence of methane found in Mars meteorites

Posted on June 17, 2015 by rburnham

An international team of researchers has discovered traces of methane in Martian meteorites, a possible clue in the search for life on the Red Planet. The researchers examined samples from six meteorites of volcanic rock that originated on Mars. The … Continue reading →

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Does Black Beauty represent bulk of Mars crust?

Posted on January 30, 2015 by rburnham

New spectroscopic analysis of “Black Beauty,” a meteorite found in the Moroccan desert, has given scientists a better picture of the crust beneath Mars’ red dust. The meteorite, also known as NWA 7034, is like no other rock ever found … Continue reading →

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ALH84001′s carbonates record ancient climate

Posted on December 23, 2014 by rburnham

A new analysis of a Martian rock that meteorite hunters plucked from an Antarctic ice field 30 years ago this month reveals a record of the planet’s climate billions of years ago, back when water likely washed across its surface … Continue reading →

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Meteoritic evidence of Mars water reservoir

Posted on December 18, 2014 by rburnham

NASA and an international team of planetary scientists have found evidence in meteorites on Earth that indicates Mars has a distinct and global reservoir of water or ice near its surface. Though controversy still surrounds the origin, abundance and history … Continue reading →

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Is carbon in Mars meteorite Tissint biological?

Posted on December 3, 2014 by rburnham

Did Mars ever have life? Does it still? A meteorite from Mars has reignited the old debate. An international team that includes scientists from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne has published a paper in the scientific journal Meteoritics and … Continue reading →

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‘Black Beauty’ zircons record ancient Mars climate

Posted on August 28, 2014 by rburnham

Was Mars — now a cold, dry place — once a warm, wet planet that sustained life? And if so, how long has it been cold and dry? … By analyzing the chemical clues locked inside an ancient Martian meteorite … Continue reading →

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Meteorites yield clues to early Mars atmosphere

Posted on April 17, 2014 by rburnham

Geologists who analyzed 40 meteorites that fell to Earth from Mars unlocked secrets of the Martian atmosphere hidden in the chemical signatures of these ancient rocks. Their study, published April 17 in the journal Nature, shows that the atmospheres of … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: 3D replica of Block Island, meteorite on Mars

Posted on April 7, 2014 by rburnham

Scientists finally have their hands on a piece of Mars, sort of. Technology seemingly straight out of Star Trek allowed the replication of a rock on Mars using a 3D printer.  The result is a realistic looking, true-size facsimile of … Continue reading →

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Mars meteorite altered by water, has spherules enriched in carbon

Posted on February 27, 2014 by rburnham

A team of scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has found evidence of past water movement throughout a Martian meteorite [Yamato 000593], reviving debate in the scientific community over life … Continue reading →

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