Geochemistry of the Moon and Meteorites Brainteaser

Spring 2003
  1. List two lines of evidence that support the giant impact hypothesis for the formation of the moon from the Earth's mantle?
  2. Why are the SNC meteorites believed to have been derived from a large parent body? Why is this body believed to be Mars?
  3. You are asked to review a paper on a meteorite believed to have originated from the crust of Venus within the last hundred million years, which was found to contain significant amount of hydrated minerals. What problems would you raise? What alternative explanation could you offer?
  4. An alternative paper claims the meteorite is lunar in origin, what are the problems with this theory, how could you tell which is the true parent body?

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