Los Angeles Mars Rock
Find / Fall: Found – 1999
Location: California, USA
Classification: Martian (shergottite)
Total Known Weight: 698 g
The Los Angeles Martian Meteorite was identified as a meteorite in 1999 years after it was found in the desert. After much more extensive laboratory work it was classified as a Martian meteorite. It is a basaltic shergottite. It is one amongst a few of that type which are known.
For a chunk of rock to get launched form the surface of another planet and find its way through the solar system to the gravitational field of Earth is a rare event. But, for that rock to actually be found and identified is perhaps even more remarkable. But, surprisingly it has happened repeatedly in the last several years. Two of these Martian meteorites were found in the deserts of Los Angeles County.
Like all Martian meteorites, it was found to be made up of very shocked minerals. The forces exerted on rocks to blast them from the surface of a planet melt and alter the minerals; changing them into others that can only form in tremendous pressure. The Los Angeles Martian Meteorite consists of two stones which are parts of the same larger stone which broke up during its passage through the atmosphere of Earth. Martian meteorites remain today some of the rarest and most sought after specimens for meteorite collectors.
More Information on Meteoritical Bulletin Database
