Tissent Martian Meteorite. At about 2 A.M. on July 18, 2011 a bright fireball was observed by several people in the Oued Dran Valley east of Tata, Morocco. The first pristine meteorites were found in October 48 km SSW of Tissint Village. Tissint was not just any meteorite, it turned out to be a very rare meteorite that originated on the planet Mars. This meteorite was identified as being from Mars by analyzing its oxygen isotopes. The composition of the oxygen isotopes from Mars are different from the composition of the oxygen isotopes on Earth and just like a fingerprint identifies this meteorite as being from Mars.
Because this meteorite is so fresh and was recovered within weeks of its fall in an arid desert, it has tremendous potential for scientists to analyze it to determine the conditions on Mars at the time it was formed and even possibly to find organic matter that might indicate the presence of life.
The host rock solidified out of Martian magma 400-500 million years age and was blasted off the surface of Mars by an asteroid impact around one million years ago.
This pristine specimen measuring 5 X 4 mm and weighs 0.161 grams with glassy black fusion crust on one sided and a view inside the meteorite showing its dark gray matrix. The only way to get a fresher piece of the planet Mars would be to go there and pick one up.
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Rare Angrite Meteorite Possibly from Mercury
Angrite meteorites are the rarest of the non-magnetic meteorites that originate from planet sized bodies with fewer than a dozen falls known. Angrites quite possibly come from the planet Mercury but we do not know the composition of the surface of Mercury. NWA 2999 is an unique Angrite having an unusual mineral composition which mimics terrestrial processes. It is reduced and contains little metal indicating the it came from a large body close to the sun such as Mercury. It is plutonic meaning that it formed underground and not in a lava flow. This 13 X 10 X 3 mm slice weighs .994 gram and is a dark brown color with few visible signs of condrules. The total know weight of NWA 2999 which was found in Northwest Africa in 2004 is only 392 grams.
Estimated Value $300 - 400
Rocks/Minerals
