Chassigny (meteorite)
| Chassigny meteorite | |
|---|---|
 Thin section of Chassigny under cross-polarized light (JPL) | |
| Type | Achondrite |
| Class | Martian meteorite |
| Group | Chassignite |
| Parent body | Mars |
| Country | France |
| Region | Chassigny, Haute-Marne |
| Fall date | 1815-10-03 |
 Related media on Wikimedia Commons | |
Chassigny is a Mars meteorite which fell on October 3, 1815, at approximately 8:00 am, in Chassigny, Haute-Marne, France.[1][2] Chassigny is the meteorite for which the chassignites are named, and gives rise to the "C" in SNCs. Chassigny is an olivine cumulate rock (dunite). It consists almost entirely of olivine with intercumulous pyroxene, feldspar, and oxides. Chassigny was the only known chassignite until NWA2737 was found in the Moroccan Sahara in northwest Africa.[3]
Chassigny is particularly important because, unlike most SNCs, it contains noble gas compositions different from the current Martian atmosphere. These differences are presumably due to its cumulate (mantle-derived) nature.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Pistollet (1816) The circumstances of the Chassigny meteorite shower. Ann. Chim. Phys. (Paris) v. 1, pg 45-48.
- ^ "The Chassigny Meteorite" - From NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, stating it is the only example. URL accessed September 6, 2006.
- ^ Beck P., Barret J. A., Gillet P., Franchi I.A., Greenwood R. C., Van De Moortele B., Reyard B., Bohn M. and Cotton J. (2005) The Diderot Meteorite, the second chassignite.Lunar and Planet. Sci. XXXVI, Abstract #1326.
- ^ Mars Meteorite Compendium: Chassigny, Compiled by Charles Meyer.
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