If it had been disturbed by the heatshield impact, the polished surface would not be on the top, and it wouldn't have a nice pattern of mini-dunes around it.
This meteorite has been sitting on the surface of Meridiani Planum for millenia, at least. Iron-Nickel meteorites are notoriously hard and abrasive. many a geology department has lost its prized diamond saw to an iron meteorite. The sand and dust of mars would just shrug off this thing.
If you compare the boulders at the pathfinder site (which appear to have lain in situ for at least 1.8 billion years, they weren't very eroded either. This meteorite less so, but it's harder stuff.
probably a similar age, or older - and that's exposure age, not time of fall!
Every time we look at rates of processes on Mars, the answers are that Mars has been almost dead for 3.5 billion years. The few tens of thousands of years quoted are an absolute minimum and don't even begin to factor in Mars processes.
Space/Science » in reply to Opportunity's meteorite shows little signs of errosion
re: Opportunity's meteorite shows little signs of errosion
The whole thread (31 posts)
- Opportunity's meteorite shows little signs of errosion
- re: Opportunity's meteorite shows little signs of errosion
- It looks like a giant peach pit. (n/t)
- Iron-nickel meteorites are incredibly hard
- re: Opportunity's meteorite shows little signs of errosion
- re: Can you explain why you so confidently assert