'Black Beauty' forms bulk of red planet rocks
 

New York, Feb 1 (IANS) The bulk of rocks on the surface of Mars probably look a lot like what is called "Black Beauty", a meteorite found a few years ago in the Moroccan desert, says a study. Spectroscopic measurements of the meteorite are a spot-on match with orbital measurements of the Martian dark plains, areas where the planet's coating of red dust is thin and the rocks beneath are exposed, the researchers said. The findings suggest that the meteorite is a representative of the "bulk background" of rocks on the Martian surface, said lead author Kevin Can**n from Brown University. Before Black Beauty, all the Martian rocks found on the Earth were classified as SNC meteorites (shergottites, nakhlites or chassignites).

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