Martian deserts

Martian meteorites ( SNC for shergottite, nakhlite, chassignite) comprise a diverse suite of igneous rocks (McSween, 2004). With only one exception, they are geologically young. Presently, 34 of these meteorites are recognized, most recovered from Antarctica and North African deserts. 

Numbers in parentheses indicate fragments collected from hot deserts and Queen Maud Land Antarctica, uncorrected for pairing except for Lunar and Martian samples. 

The search for martian meteorites in Antarctica and in the hot deserts of the world continues because these meteorites are the only rocks from Mars that are presently available. The most recent information on the martian meteorites is contained in the books edited by Davis (2005) and by McFadden et al. (2006) and in the papers presented at a woikshop on the topic of unmixing of SNCs (Treiman 2003). 

The story whether there is water on Mars or not and if yes, how much, is not completely finished yet. As we have stated, the debate started more than 100 years ago by the observations of the canali which turned out to be artifacts caused by blurring effects in our atmosphere. In 1976 the first unmanned spacecrafts landed on the martian surface (Viking 1 and Viking 2). Mars appeared as a dry, rocky desert with no signs of water. 

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