Queen Alexandra Range 94201 Martian meteorite, Queen Alexandra Range, Victoria Land, Eastern Antarctica, Antarcticai

Regional Level Types
Queen Alexandra Range 94201 Martian meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Queen Alexandra Range	Mountain Range
Victoria Land	Region
Eastern Antarctica	Region
Antarctica	Continent

QUE 94201 (Basaltic Shergottite)
Find, 1994; 12 g

A small, rounded stone with a spotty fusion crust and a glistening, glassy surface found on a glacial moraine soon became a new addition to the inventory of recovered Martian meteorites. Nearly equal amounts of maskelynite (labradorite composition) accompanied by interstitial grains of variable pigeonite account for ~90 vol% of the stone. Both maskelynite laths and pyroxene crystals usually exceed a mm in length. The extreme zoning of its pyroxene and its unusual REE pattern indicate that its mineralogical assemblage cooled rather quickly in a depleted magma — presumably very close to the surface of Mars. Several additional minor phases have been identified —phosphates (~ 5 vol%) as well as silicates, oxides, and various opaques. These include tiny melt inclusions found in relic plagioclase grains. The preterrestrial mineralogy of the oxides indicates a more reduced lithology (lower fugacity) than other martian meteorites. However, to complicate matters, evaporites (mostly sulfates) and other oxidized weathering products are present as well.

The crystallization age of QUE 94201 is ~ 300 Ma and its cosmic exposure age ~2 Ma. After reaching the earth the meteorite was then sequestered in or on the ice for 200,000—300,000 years.

Approximately 80% of the ~150 martian meteorite specimens recovered by mid-2015 have been classified as shergottites. QUE 94201 is one of 10 meteorites more specifically classified as a 'basaltic shergottite' at NASA's 'Mars Meteorite Compendium'. Indeed, QUE 94201 with its very late stage magmatic melt composition has been described even more specifically as a 'depleted basaltic shergottite'.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References