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shergottite
Nov. 8th, 2023 08:07 amshergottite (SHUHR-guh-tait) - n., a meteorite composed of lava from a planet other than Earth.
Which thanks to the Sun's gravity well means (almost?) all are from Mars, ejected from that planet by a strike by another (larger) meteorite. Not all Martian meteorites are shergottite, but the majority are -- and most of the rest are basaltic stone (called nakhlite). Named after Sherghati, India, formerly spelled Shergotty, where the first identified such Martian meteorite fell on 25 August 1865.
---L.
Which thanks to the Sun's gravity well means (almost?) all are from Mars, ejected from that planet by a strike by another (larger) meteorite. Not all Martian meteorites are shergottite, but the majority are -- and most of the rest are basaltic stone (called nakhlite). Named after Sherghati, India, formerly spelled Shergotty, where the first identified such Martian meteorite fell on 25 August 1865.
---L.
