Chassigny

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For the French commune, see Chassigny, Haute-Marne.

Chassigny is a Mars meteorite that was seen to fall on October 3rd, 1815 at about 8:00 am in Chassigny, Haute-Marne, France^[1][2]. Chassigny is the meteorite for which the Chassignites are named and gives rise to the "C" in SNCs. Chassigny is an olivine cumulate rock (dunite). It consists almost entirely of olivine with intercumulous pyroxene, feldspar, and oxides. Chassigny was the only known Chassignite until NWA2737 was found in the Moroccan Sahara in northwest Africa.^[3]

Chassigny is particularly important because, unlike most SNCs, it contains noble gas compositions different from the current Martian atmosphere. These differences are presumably due to its cumulate (mantle-derived) nature. ^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ Pistollet (1816) The circumstances of the Chassigny meteorite shower. Ann. Chim. Phys. (Paris) v. 1, pg 45-48.
2. ^ "The Chassigny Meteorite" - From NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, stating it is the only example. URL accessed September 6, 2006.
3. ^ Beck P., Barret J. A., Gillet P., Franchi I.A., Greenwood R. C., Van De Moortele B., Reyard B., Bohn M. and Cotton J. (2005) The Diderot Meteorite, the second chassignite.Lunar and Planet. Sci. XXXVI, Abstract #1326.
4. ^ Mars Meteorite Compendium: Chassigny, Compiled by Charles Meyer.