Zagami

Scientific Name: Zagami shergottite (an achondritic stony meteorite)
Fall Date: October 3, 1962
Image Number: ROM2008_10165_20

Description: Soon after the Zagami meteorite fell in 1962, scientific analysis showed it to have an unusual composition, quite different from most other meteorites. The majority of meteorites probably originated from the Asteroid belt. However, the composition of the Zagami indicates the most likely of known sources for this meteorite was the surface of Mars. Apparently a meteoritic impact on Mars was powerful enough to launch fragments of the Martian crust into space, some of which eventually reached the Earth and survived the fall. As of 2001, only 18 such meteorites are known to exist.