Chemical and isotopic studies showed that it originated on Mars.
The meteorite known as Allan Hills 84001, usually abbreviated ALH 84001 or ALH84001, is one of the most famous rocks ever discovered and remains central to the scientific search for evidence of life beyond Earth. Found on December 27, 1984, in the Allan Hills region of Antarctica by a United States meteorite-hunting expedition
Beyond Earth, anorthosite holds a special place in planetary geology.
Anorthosite is a distinctive type of igneous rock composed predominantly of plagioclase feldspar, typically labradorite or bytownite, and is notable for its light color and coarse-grained texture. Unlike most igneous rocks, which contain a mix of minerals such as quartz,
A carbon-rich solid material derived primarily from coal.
Coke, in the context of fuel and metallurgy, is a carbon-rich solid material derived primarily from coal and used chiefly in iron and steel production. It is created by heating bituminous coal to high temperatures in the absence of air, a process known as destructive distillation or carbonization. This heating drives off volatile substances such as gases, tars, and oils, leaving behind a porous, nearly pure form of carbon. The resulting product is hard, gray, and lightweight relative to its
A sharply pyramidal peak rising in isolation at the border of Switzerland and Italy.
The Matterhorn is one of the most instantly recognizable mountains in the world, a sharply pyramidal peak rising in isolation at the border of Switzerland and Italy, above the twin Alpine communities of Zermatt in the canton of Valais and Breuil-Cervinia in Italy’s Aosta Valley.
Stalactites covering 1.4 ha (3.5 acres) of a cavern have been harnessed to produce musical tones when struck with rubber-tipped mallets linked to a keyboard.
The Great Stalacpipe Organ is one of the most unusual and fascinating musical instruments in the world. Located in the Luray Caverns of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, this instrument uses natural limestone stalactites as its tone generators, making it the largest musical instrument in terms of physical space—its sound can be heard throughout the 64-acre cave.
Microscopic, metallic spheres were discovered during a 2023 oceanic expedition.
The BeLaU spherules are a collection of microscopic, metallic spheres enriched in beryllium (Be), lanthanum (La), and uranium (U), discovered during a 2023 oceanic expedition led by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. This mission aimed to locate remnants of a meteor, designated IM1, which entered Earth’s atmosphere in 2014 and was hypothesized to be of interstellar origin
Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch (Discovery Channel) visited the Serpent Mound in Ohio and were shown shatter cones from the meteorite impact that happened there.
Shatter cones are distinctive geological features that serve as compelling evidence of hypervelocity impact events, such as those caused by meteorites. They are cone-shaped, striated rock structures formed under extremely high pressures, typically exceeding 2 GPa (gigapascals), in the moments following an impact.
In Season 4, Episode 4 (“The Skull”) of the Discovery series Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, they find what might be an abandoned open pit mine.
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cut mining, is a surface mining technique characterized by the excavation of large pits to extract minerals and ores. This method is widely used when deposits are found close to the surface and is applicable for a range of resources, including coal, gold, copper, and iron.
The meteorite was found in a region known for its arid climate, which helps preserve such space rocks.
The El Ali meteorite, Nightfall, is a notable space rock that gained attention due to its significant size and the circumstances surrounding its discovery. Found in the region of El Ali in Somalia, this meteorite is classified as a type of chondrite, which is one of the most common types of meteorites.
The longest mountain range on Earth.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is a continuous mountain range running down the center of the Atlantic Ocean, marking the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates to the west and the South American and African plates to the east. This underwater mountain range extends for about 10,000 miles and is the longest mountain range on Earth.
