For the first time, we are displaying the largest fragment of Mars that has ever fallen to Earth.
The large chunk of Mars measures 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter at its widest point and weighs 32 pounds (14.5 kg). It was unveiled at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, Bethel on Wednesday, September 1.
After a large asteroid, or comet, landed it on Earth, the rock lump ended up as a lump of rock.
Live Science reported that "Martian rocks could fall to Earth as meteorites," Carl Agee, director of Institute of Meteoritics at University of New Mexico. They are ejected from Mars by large, energetic impacts events.
Related: 7 places that look like Mars on Earth
Agee was part of the confirmation that the Martian rock, Taoudenni002, came from the Red Planet.
Around 300 pieces of Martian rock are found on Earth. They weigh in at 500 pounds (227 kilograms). Agee stated that there are between 100 to 150 Martian meteorites known to exist, but collectors often separate them to make them sellable separately.
After strong impacts have ejected the rocks from Mars they drift through space until eventually reaching an Earth-crossing orbit around Sun.
Taoudenni002 was discovered by a local meteor hunter near a desert sal mine in Mali. It was then that Darryl Pitt, a world-leading meteorite trader, purchased it for the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. Agee stated that although the meteorite fell was not visible, it was most likely recent. He added that it could have been "in the last 100 years maybe" due to its preserved condition.
Pitt received the meteorite from Mali and sent it to Agee for confirmation.
Martian meteorites possess specific chemical signatures. The elements and minerals in Taoudenni002 closely match the Martian minerals, Agee stated.
Agee stated that it was a shergottite. This is the main type Martian meteorite. It contains the minerals olivine and pyroxene, as well as shock-transformed Feldspar. These were formed by the Mars impact that ejected the material.
The composition of meteorites also suggests how the rock was formed. Agee stated that the rock was most likely formed during a volcanic episode of Mars over 100 million years ago.
Agee suggested that larger Martian rocks could be hiding on Earth. Agee mentioned that they might be "buried under a Sahara sand dunes, deep in Antarctica's ice, or at the bottom the ocean."
Original publication on Live Science
