Tissint

A WITNESSED AND FLIGHT ORIENTED MARTIAN METEORITE

This complete stone of Tissint is a spectacular specimen: it is flight oriented, with a fresh and glassy dark fusion crust covering the entire surface.

Tissint is perhaps the most studied Martian meteorite in existence, and one of the most sought after. This is for a number of reasons: it was an observed fall, it has a glossy and beautiful fusion crust produced during entry into the atmosphere, it was collected only days after the fall and is thus relatively "uncontaminated," and it contains a large number of organic compounds, the study of which can help us understand whether Mars would once have been suitable for life.

Tissint is one of only five observed Martian falls. Launched off of the Martian surface by a violent collision with an asteroid, the meteorite landed outside the central Moroccan town of Tissint on July 18, 2011. Tissint has been invaluable to meteoritic science as it contains a large number and diversity of organic compounds, helping us understand Martian geochemistry. As Andrew Steele, staff scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science and member of the Perseverence and Curiosity rover teams has said of Tissint:

"Understanding the processes and sequence of events that shaped this rich organic bounty will reveal new details about Mars' habitability and potentially about the reactions that could lead to the formation of life."

Of particular interest in Tissint are the number of organic magnesium compounds, never before seen in a Martian sample, that can tell scientists more about the interior of Mars and the connection between its carbon cycle and mineral evolution.

REFERENCES:

Meteoritical Bulletin Entry for Tissint

Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin et al. "Complex carbonaceous matter in Tissint Martian meteorites give insights into the diversity of organic geochemistry on Mars." Science Advances 9(2), 2023.