Yamato 000593 (or Y000593) is the
second largestmeteorite from
Mars found on
Earth.[2][5][6] Studies suggest the
Martian meteorite was formed about 1.3 billion years ago from a
lava flow on
Mars.[7] An
impact occurred on Mars about 11 million years ago[7] and ejected the meteorite from the Martian surface into
space. The meteorite landed on Earth in
Antarctica about 50,000 years ago. The
mass of the meteorite is 13.7 kg (30 lb) and has been found to contain evidence of past
water alteration.[2][5][6][8]
At a microscopic level, spheres are found in the meteorite rich in
carbon compared to surrounding areas lacking such spheres. The carbon-rich spheres and the observed micro-tunnels may have been formed by
biotic activity, according to NASA scientists.[2][5][6]
The mass of the meteorite is 13.7 kg (30 lb).[2] It is an unbrecciated cumulus
igneous rock consisting predominantly of elongated
augite crystals—a
solid solution in the
pyroxene group.[9] Japanese scientists from the National Institute of Polar Research reported in 2003 that the meteorite contains
iddingsite, which forms from the weathering of basalt in the presence of liquid water.[9] In addition, NASA researchers reported in February 2014 that they also found carbon-rich spheres encased in multiple layers of iddingsite, as well as microtubular features emanating from iddingsite veins displaying curved, undulating shapes consistent with bio-alteration textures that have been observed in terrestrial basaltic glass.[2] However, the scientific consensus is that "morphology alone cannot be used unambiguously as a tool for primitive life detection."[10][11][12] Interpretation of morphology is notoriously subjective, and its use alone has led to numerous errors of interpretation.[10] According to the NASA team, the presence of carbon and lack of corresponding cations is consistent with the occurrence of
organic matter embedded in iddingsite.[5] The NASA researchers indicated that
mass spectrometry may provide deeper insight into the nature of the carbon, and could distinguish between abiotic and biologic carbon incorporation and alteration.[5]
Microscopic image of Y000593 meteorite shows
iddingsite as evidence of
water alteration. It displays microtunnels that may have been formed by biotic activity (February 27, 2014).
Y000593 has areas with spheres (red) that have twice the
carbon as areas without spheres (blue) (February 27, 2014).
Microscopic image of the
Nakhla-like surface of meteorite Yamato 000593 (November 2009).
^Mikouchi, T.; E. Koizumi; A. Monkawa; Y. Ueda (March 2003). "Mineralogy and petrology of Yamato 000593: Comparison with other Martian nakhlite meteorites". Antarctic Meteorite Research. 16: 34–57.
Bibcode:
2003AMR....16...34M.
^
abcImae, N.; Y. Ikeda; K. Shinoda; H. Kojima; Iwata, Naoyoshi (2003). "Yamato nahklites: Petrography and mineralogy". Antarctic Meteorite Research. 16: 13–33.
Bibcode:
2003AMR....16...13I.
^
abGarcia-Ruiz, Juan-Manuel Garcia-Ruiz (December 30, 1999). "Morphological behavior of inorganic precipitation systems - Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology II". SPIE Proceedings. Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology II. Proc. SPIE 3755: 74–82.
doi:
10.1117/12.375088.
S2CID84764520. It is concluded that "morphology cannot be used unambiguously as a tool for primitive life detection."