NASA's Curiosity rover has found its first meteorite on Mars. Named Lebanon, the chunk of iron is about two yards wide and similar to meteorites found by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. Iron meteorites seem to be more common on Mars than Earth, NASA says, because iron is particularly well suited to surviving the red planet's erosion processes.
Curiosity captured images of the meteorite with its Remote Micro-Imager, part of its Chemistry and Camera system. It also used the Mast Camera to add color and context. The circled cavities could have come from erosion along the crystalline boundaries in the rock, or they could be signs that Lebanon once held olivine crystals, which are sometimes found in meteorites formed near the boundary between an asteroid's core and mantle.
Rachel Z. Arndt is the author of the essay collection Beyond Measure. Her writing has appeared in Quartz, The Believer, Fast Company, and elsewhere. She lives in Chicago.
