Why these rocks
are not meteorites:
These two rock samples (slices) were each sent to me by a different
and experienced meteorite dealer who each purchased the respective
rock from dealers
in northern
Africa. In
both cases the rocks were sold as lunar meteorites, as I understand
it.
The top sample, which is about a centimeter long, is a bit suspicious
because the clasts are too circular for an impact breccia. Also,
I've never seen a clast with a red center in a lunar meteorite.
The bottom sample looks pretty good. It resembles NEA
001 and also some eucrites.
We analyzed both samples. Both had less
than 100 ppm chromium, a simple feature that is inconsistent
with any kind of meteorite.
|
What are they?
They're both terrestrial rocks, probably sedimentary rocks, judging
by the high concentrations of zinc, arsenic, and antimony.
|
|
|
