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Where do meteorites come from?

The origin of rocks from space with Parent Body Pairings!

There is a theory that certain classes of meteorites originate from a particular 'parent body' in our solar system. During significant disruption to the parent body, pieces can be broken off such as when two asteroids collide. Some of these pieces then make it to Earth. While the Martian and Lunar meteorites are virtually un-arguably from Mars and the Moon, it is only really educated speculation about the other classes. Because we have been to the Moon and Mars, it is possible to classify meteorites using the data collected from those missions. With the other classifications, we need to use methods like spectral analysis to determine their origin. Listed below are some meteorite classifications and the name of the parent body they are thought to originate from.

Ordinary Chondrites:

H - Chondrites: Asteroid: Hebe

L - Chondrites:
L4:
Asteroid: Eros
L6: Asteroid: 3628 Bozemcova

LL- Chondrites: Asteroid: 1998 SF36

Carbonaceous Chondrites:

CM2: Asteroid: Ceres & Asteroid: 19 Fortuna
CR2: Asteroid: 2 Pallas
CO3: Eos Asteroid Family

Achondrites:

Aubrites: Asteroid: 44 Nysa & Asteroid: 3103 Eger

Branchinites: Asteroid: 289 Nenetta

Howardites: Asteroid: Vesta (or Vesta-type asteroids)

Eucrites: Asteroid: Vesta (or Vesta-type asteroids)

Diogenites: Asteroid: Vesta (or Vesta-type asteroids)

Olivine Diogenites: Asteroid: Vesta (or Vesta-type asteroids)

Shergottites: Planet: Mars

Nakhlaites: Planet: Mars

Chassignites: Planet: Mars

Lunar: The Moon
LUN-A: Lunar Highland Breccias
LUN-B: Lunar Mare Basalt

Stony/Irons:

Pallasites: A-type asteroids; eg. Asteroid: 46 Asporina & Asteroid: 354 Eleonora.

Irons:

M-type asteroids; eg. Asteroid: Psyche & Asteroid: 1986DA.

 

 

If anyone knows of some more pairings; please don't hesitate to let me know.

 

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