How can I teach about Mars using Martian meteorites?
Martian meteorites provide real evidence about Mars's volcanoes, water and atmosphere and show how scientists prove where a rock came from.
Martian meteorites turn a distant planet into something tangible.
The evidence question. Begin with a puzzle: how can we know a rock found in Antarctica or the Sahara came from Mars? Present clues one at a time. Martian meteorites are young volcanic rocks, mostly hundreds of millions of years old, far younger than most meteorites, so they must come from a large body that stayed volcanically active. Their oxygen isotopes differ from Earth's and form their own group. Most convincingly, gas trapped in shock glass inside some of them matches the Martian atmosphere measured by NASA's Viking landers in 1976. Pupils can weigh up the evidence and reach a conclusion, as scientists did in the early 1980s.
Mars's history. Nakhlites contain minerals formed by water on Mars. ALH 84001, about 4.1 billion years old, contains carbonates formed by water and was the subject of the 1996 claim of possible fossil microbes, which can lead to a discussion about extraordinary claims and scientific debate.
How rocks escape. Explain that large impacts on Mars blasted rocks into space at more than about 5 kilometres per second, Mars's escape velocity. Compare with Earth's 11.2 kilometres per second.
Links to exploration. Compare Martian meteorites with rocks studied by rovers such as Curiosity and Perseverance, and discuss plans to return samples.
Activity. Pupils create a 'passport' for a Martian meteorite, recording its formation, ejection, journey through space, arrival on Earth and discovery.
More about for teachers
- How can meteorites support careers education?
- What are good discussion questions about meteorites?
- How does the history of meteorites show the scientific method?
- How can meteorites inspire art and creative writing?
- How can I explain the speed of meteors in relatable terms?
- How can I teach orbits and gravity using asteroids?