NWA 10697 — COMPLETE SLICE OF A ROCK FROM THE PLANET MARS, Shergottite – Mars Rock, poikilitic Sahara Desert, North West Africa

A somewhat unusual presentation of Mars. As it originates from a rock whose entire weight is 151g., very few specimens will be available. The meteorite’s waxy exterior surface delimits this complete slice. Few small patches of fusion crust are seen. The interior exhibits dispersed, beige prismatic pyroxene grains in a khaki-colored matrix containing maskelynite grains (impact-produced glass). The texture is referred to as being poikilitic (i.e., an igneous rock in which large crystals contain smaller crystals, in this instance large pyroxene grains containing small olivine crystals). Highly shocked and unweathered, this is a captivating slice of a rock from the planet Mars. Modern cutting.
44 x 33 x 2 mm. (1.75 x 1.3 x 0.1 in.)

8.68 g.

This is a complete slice of a rock which was part of the planet Mars. The determination of Martian origin is the result of research on the part of scientists throughout the world. In addition to the more arcane markers in common, most Martian meteorites exhibit an unusually young crystalline age (indicating that they cannot be from asteroids, which all cooled about 4½ billion years ago). Many Martian meteorites also contain water-bearing minerals, consistent with the evidence for water on Mars. The “smoking gun” of Martian origin appeared in 1995 when minute amounts of gas found in tiny glassy vugs of impact melt in two different suspected Martian meteorites was analyzed—and it was found to match perfectly with the signature of the Martian atmosphere as reported by NASA’s Viking missions in 1976. As is the case with lunar meteorites, the delivery mechanism is believed to be an asteroid impact that jettisoned material off the Martian surface and into an Earth-crossing orbit. Like many other Martian meteorites, this specimen probably formed as a basalt flow at or near the surface of Mars.

The abstract in which this meteorite is described appears in the 105th Edition of the Meteoritical Bulletin, the journal of record. Leading the analysis was Dr. Anthony Irving, among the world’s foremost experts in the classification of planetary meteorites.

The main mass from which this slice was cut will be on display at the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue note.