Kaidun meteorite
| Kaidun | |
|---|---|
Observed fall | Yes |
| Fall date | 3 December 1980 |
| TKW | 2 kg |
| Alternative names | Kaydun |
Kaidun is a meteorite that fell on 3 December 1980 on a Soviet military base near what is now Al-Khuraybah in Yemen. A fireball was observed travelling from the northwest to the southeast, and a single stone weighing about 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) was recovered from a small impact pit.[1][2] It has been suggested that Kaidun originated from the Martian moon of Phobos, but this is disputed.
Composition
It contains a uniquely wide variety of minerals, causing debate about its origin. It is largely
.Origin
In March 2004 it was suggested that the meteorite originated from the
alkaline-rich clasts visible in the meteorite, each of which entered the rock at different times. This suggests that the parent body would have been near a source of an alkaline-rich rock, which is almost wholly produced by deep differentiation. This points to Mars and one of its moons, and Phobos is more likely than Deimos because it is closer to Mars.[5]
However, mineralogical and noble gas work do not tie the lithic fragments to Mars, as they have other proven Martian meteorites, and this hypothesized link is tenuous at best.
In support of the Phobos hypothesis, in 2017 two scientists at the Western University found that meteorites originating from Phobos (and even Deimos) can travel to Earth.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b Meteoritical Bulletin Database: Kaidun
- Bibcode:1984LPI....15..393I.
- ^ Hogan, Jenny (22 April 2004). "'Weird' meteorite may be from Mars moon". New Scientist. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- S2CID 123669722.
- ^ Ivanov, Andrei V. (4 September 2003). "The Kaidun Meteorite: Where Did It Come From?" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- S2CID 119247634.
External links
- Kaidun: A Meteorite with Everything but the Kitchen Sink, written by Linda M. V. Martel, Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology