Asteroids, Comets and Meteors
Amazing Meteorites!
Meteorites are solid rock-like fragments that have landed on Earth. They can come from asteroids, comets, meteoroids, the Moon or even Mars. Meteorites are extremely interesting to study because they can help scientists to understand more about the origins of our Solar System and how the Earth formed. In the GeoBus collection we have a few different types of meteorite that you can find out more about below.
IRON METEORITE
This is a Nickel-Iron Campo del Cielo Crystal Meteorite from Campo del Cielo, Argentina. It is roughly 4cm wide and is thought to have landed on Earth 4-6000 years ago. It is very dense and heavy. Iron meteorites are thought to be fragments of a core (the centre) of a big asteroid, similar to the Earth’s metallic core. It is shiny because it has been polished through handling, and is a favourite for its distinctly metallic smell!
STONY CHONDRITE METEORITE
Roughly 8cm wide, this meteorite and is made mostly of metals iron and nickel, plus other stone-like minerals. Found in North West Africa (NWA meteorite), it is thought to have fallen up to 10,000 years ago and is over 1 billion years old! On the rounded side of this meteorite you can see a dark fusion crust. This is a layer that forms as a meteorite falls through the Earth’s atmosphere because it gets incredibly hot and burns the outer edges! This is one of the most common types of meteorite found on Earth.
PALLASITE METEORITE
Our pallasite meteorite is approximately 3cm wide, and its likely a Brenham or Brahin meteorite. It is made up of two prominent materials that can most clearly be seen on its flat polished surface. Looking closely, you can see that metal (iron and nickel) surrounds small orange/ yellow spots that look like crystals. These crystals are actually a mineral called olivine that we can find on Earth. Pallasite meteorites like this likely formed between the mantle and molten core of a large asteroid.
Craters Throughout the Solar System
These pictures are taken by satellites orbiting Mars, providing a birds-eye view of the surface. They have later been turned into 3-D images, bringing them to life. In order to investigate and explore the images, first have a think about what they might remind you of? Perhaps you might have seen something like this before? Now take a closer look at the details and what further clues they give about the image. Finally, think about what kind of surface process could have formed these features?
These images have been selected because they indicate that Mars had a dynamic and active surface in the past that was very different to the still and barren landscape we see today. What do you think Mars was like in the past?
Hebrus Valles
This large outflow channel shows many characteristic signs that massive amounts of water have flowed through this area, including the teardrop and streamlined islands. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Phlegethon Catena
This chain of collapse pits located on the southeast flank of Alba Patera, a volcanic complex, probably formed when empty underground lava tubes collapsed. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Crater in Meridiani Planum (2.3 N, 2.6 W)
This image shows layered sedimentary rocks and ripples that fill and surround an impact crater in Meridiani Planum, an equatorial region where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian surface since January 2004. These layered deposits may have formed through the accumulation of sediment that were transported into this region by blowing wind or flowing water. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Crater in Tantalus Fossae
Tantalus Fossae are a set of faults on the eastern flank of Alba Mons, one of the great Tharsis Montes volcanoes. Here a fault cuts into this crater, indicating that the fault formed after the crater. Material has filled in the crater floor and obscured any trace of the faults running across the crater floor, likely after the fault was active. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS