description QUE94201 Overview
QUE 94201 is a Martian meteorite recovered in Antarctica's Queen Alexandra Range during the 1994 field season. It is classified as a basaltic shergottite, a type of igneous rock ejected from Mars by an impact and later delivered to Earth. Laboratory studies have placed its crystallization at roughly 327 million years ago, making it a comparatively young Martian volcanic rock used by planetary scientists to investigate the planet's magmatic history and mantle composition.
help QUE94201 FAQ
Where was QUE 94201 found and what does its name mean?
QUE 94201 was recovered during the 1994–1995 Antarctic field season in the Queen Alexandra Range, in the part of the Transantarctic Mountains designated by the Queen (QUE) meteorite-collecting prefix. Such finds are gathered by ANSMET teams and curated at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
What kind of meteorite is QUE 94201?
QUE 94201 is a basaltic shergottite, a type of igneous Martian meteorite in the shergottite–nakhlite–chassignite (SNC) clan. Basaltic shergottites are essentially lava flows ejected from Mars by an asteroid impact.
How old is QUE 94201's lava?
Laboratory analyses place the crystallization age of QUE 94201's basalt at roughly 300-plus million years, which is geologically young compared to most Martian meteorites. Its cosmic-ray exposure age of a few million years reflects when it was launched from Mars.
Why is QUE 94201 important to Mars researchers?
Because QUE 94201 is a relatively young basalt, it provides a window into Mars's most recent volcanic activity. Its mineralogy and trace-element chemistry help constrain models of Martian mantle melting and the planet's oxidizing conditions over time.
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