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Shelter Island meteorite

Coordinates: 02°07′04″S 05°31′41.30″W / 2.11778°S 5.5281389°W / -2.11778; -5.5281389
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Shelter Island meteorite
Shelter Island meteorite viewed by the Opportunity rover (October 3, 2009).
TypeIron
Parent bodyUnknown
CompositionKamacite, taenite[1]
Weathering gradeLarge-scale, cavernous weathering[1]
CountryMars
RegionMeridiani Planum
Coordinates02°07′04″S 05°31′41.30″W / 2.11778°S 5.5281389°W / -2.11778; -5.5281389[2]
Observed fallNo
Fall datePossibly late Noachian
Found dateDecember 1, 2009
Strewn fieldPossibly[3]
Shelter Island meteorite - close-up (October 1, 2009).
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

Shelter Island meteorite was found on Mars by the Opportunity rover on October 1, 2009. It is about 27 centimetres (11 in) long.[4]

History

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Shelter Island was the second of three iron meteorites encountered by the rover on Meridiani Planum within a few hundred meters, the others being Block Island and Mackinac Island.[1]

Shelter Island may have fallen on Mars in the late Noachian period and is extensively weathered.[1][3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Ashley, J. W.; et al. (July 2011). "Evidence for mechanical and chemical alteration of iron-nickel meteorites on Mars: Process insights for Meridiani Planum". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 116 (E7): E00F20. Bibcode:2011JGRE..116.0F20A. doi:10.1029/2010JE003672. hdl:1893/17110.
  2. ^ Google Mars
  3. ^ a b Beech, Martin; Ian M. Coulson (2010). "The making of Martian meteorite Block Island". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 404 (3): 1457. Bibcode:2010MNRAS.404.1457B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.16350.x.
  4. ^ "Opportunity Finds Another Meteorite". NASA. Retrieved January 5, 2013.