[meteorite-list] Phobosian and Demosian meteorites

[Jeff Grossman]

The clasts in question are not basaltic.  They're alkaline and subalkaline 
igneous rocks.  That's why the authors are speculating about Mars' 
satellites.  See their article:

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003M%26PS...38..725I&db_key=AST&link_type=ARTICLE

and the abstract:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2003/pdf/1236.pdf

jeff

At 02:03 PM 2/2/2005, Ron Baalke wrote:
> >
> > http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=3763
> >
>
>A quote from this article:
>
>"Of the 23,000 meteorites have been catalogued so far, none of them is 
>like the Kaidun meteorite, which contains minerals that have never been 
>seen before. Ivanov calls it "new and weird."
>
>It contains fragments of volcanic rock, which only forms in large, 
>planet-like bodies with a core, mantle and crust. This could come from 
>Martian volcanoes throwing rocks out into the atmosphere."
>
>The second statement isn't quite correct. We know that basaltic rocks can
>originate from large asteroids. Lava flows have been observed on Vesta, 
>for example.
>
>The other point is that Phobos and Deimos are most likely captured 
>asteroids, and
>their composition do match carbonaceous chondrites.  However, there are 
>thousands
>of other asteroids that are candidates as well . I haven't seen a way to
>specifically match a meteorite to either Phobos and Deimos, and exclude the
>other asteroid candidates.
>
>Ron Baalke
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Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman       phone: (703) 648-6184
US Geological Survey          fax:   (703) 648-6383
954 National Center
Reston, VA 20192, USA