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What martian meteorites reveal about the interior and surface of Mars
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  • Arya Udry,
  • Geoffrey Hamilton Howarth,
  • Christopher Herd,
  • James Day,
  • Thomas John Lapen,
  • Justin Filiberto
Arya Udry
Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Geoffrey Hamilton Howarth
University of Cape Town, University of Cape Town, University of Cape Town, University of Cape Town
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Christopher Herd
University of Alberta, University of Alberta, University of Alberta, University of Alberta
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James Day
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, University of California San Diego, University of California San Diego
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Thomas John Lapen
University of Houston, University of Houston, University of Houston, University of Houston
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Justin Filiberto
Lunar and Planetary Institute, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Lunar and Planetary Institute
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Abstract

Martian meteorites are the only direct samples from Mars, thus far. Currently, there are a total of 262 individual samples originating from at least 11 ejection events. Geochemical analyses, through techniques that are also used on terrestrial rocks, provide fundamental insights into the bulk composition, differentiation and evolution, mantle heterogeneity, and role of secondary processes, such as aqueous alteration and shock, on Mars. Martian meteorites display a wide range in mineralogy and chemistry, but are predominantly basaltic in composition. Over the past six years, the number of martian meteorites recovered has almost doubled allowing for studies that evaluate these meteorites as suites of igneous rocks. However, the martian meteorites represent a biased sampling of the surface of Mars with unknown ejection locations. The geology of Mars cannot be unraveled solely by analyzing these meteorites. Rocks analyzed by rovers on the surface of Mars are of distinct composition to the meteorites, highlighting the importance of Mars missions, especially sample return. The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will collect and cache --- for eventual return to Earth --- over 30 diverse surface samples from Jezero crater. These returned samples will allow for Earth-based state-of-the-art analyses on diverse martian rocks with known field context. The complementary study of returned samples and meteorites will help constrain the evolution of the martian interior and surface. Here, we review recent findings and advances in the study of martian meteorites and examine how returned samples would complement and enhance our knowledge of Mars.
Dec 2020Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets volume 125 issue 12. 10.1029/2020JE006523