* Astronomy

Members Login

Post Info

TOPIC: Eucrite meteorites

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Mar 26 05:41 2013

RE: Eucrite meteorites	Permalink

NASA Scientists Find Moon, Asteroids Share History NASA and international researchers have discovered that Earth's moon has more in common than previously thought with large asteroids roaming our solar system. Scientists from NASA's Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) in Moffett Field, Calif., discovered that the same population of high-speed projectiles that impacted our lunar neighbour four billion years ago, also hit the giant asteroid Vesta and perhaps other large asteroids. The research unveils an unexpected link between Vesta and the moon, and provides new means for studying the early bombardment history of terrestrial planets. Read more __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Dec 11 17:52 2011

HED meteorites	Permalink

Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Hap McSween (Univ. Tennessee), A. Beck and T. McCoy (Smithsonian Inst.) These colourful images are of thin slices of meteorites viewed through a polarizing microscope. Part of the group classified as HED meteorites for their mineral content (Howardite, Eucrite, Diogenite), they likely fell to Earth from 4 Vesta, the mainbelt asteroid currently being explored by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Read more __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Jun 14 13:41 2011

Eucrite meteorites	Permalink

Eucrites are achondritic stony meteorites, many of which originate from the surface of the asteroid (4) Vesta and as such are part of the HED meteorite group. They are the most common achondrite group with well over 100 distinct finds at present. Eucrites get their name from the Greek word eukritos meaning "easily distinguished". This refers to the silicate minerals in them, which can be easily distinguished because of their relatively large grain size. Eucrite is also a now obsolete term for bytownite-gabbro found on Earth. The term was used as a rock type name for some of the Paleogene igneous rocks of Scotland. Read more Eucrites likely origin from the asteroid (4) Vesta. Some million years ago a asteroid crashed into the 530km diameter asteroid (4) Vesta and ejected tons of small fragments from Vesta into space. Sometimes one of these ejected fragments collides with earth. A small fraction survives the fiery descent through Earth's atmosphere and becomes a meteorite. The Millbillillie meteorite and Puerto Lapice Meteorite are two examples. __________________

Page 1 of 1 sorted by

Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse