Just 5 impacts on Mars sent hundreds of meteorites to Earth

Mars is the source of hundreds of meteorites that have landed on Earth, with researchers pinpointing around 200 of them to five specific impact craters in two volcanic regions on the Red Planet. This discovery will help experts better understand the geological history of Mars.

Previous attempts to trace the origins of Martian meteorites using spectral matching techniques have been unreliable due to the distance and dust covering Mars. However, a recent study published in the journal Science Advances by the University of Alberta has made significant progress in identifying the origins of Martian meteorite subgroups on Earth.

Improved Martian physics modeling combined with remote sensing data has allowed researchers to narrow down the sources of these meteorites. This breakthrough has the potential to revise previous calculations and provide new insights into Martian chronology and volcanic stratigraphy.

The study suggests that specific impact craters in the Tharsis and Elysium volcanic regions on Mars are responsible for the meteorites found on Earth. By understanding the ejection process resulting from asteroid impacts, researchers can now group these meteorites based on their shared history and location on Mars.

With this new information, researchers can reconstruct Martian volcanic stratigraphy and gain a deeper understanding of the planet’s geological evolution. This advancement in studying meteorites from Mars is expected to revolutionize our knowledge of the Red Planet’s history.