The source craters of the martian meteorites: implications for the igneous evolution of Mars

Christopher D. K. Herd*, Jarret S. Hamilton, Erin L. Walton, Livio L. Tornabene, Anthony Lagain, Gretchen K. Benedix, Alex I. Sheen, H. J. Melosh, Brandon C. Johnson, Sean E. Wiggins, Thomas G. Sharp, James R. Darling

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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. Most of the ~200 known martian meteorites are from five impact craters on Mars, located on volcanoes in Tharsis and Elysium.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbereadn2378
Number of pages9
JournalScience Advances
Volume10
Issue number33
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Aug 2024

Keywords

  • meteorite
  • Mars
  • Planetary geology
  • planetary science
  • Solar System
  • Petrology
  • meteorite impact
  • Geology
  • space
  • UKRI
  • STFC
  • ST/S000291/1

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