description Yamato 791197 Overview
Yamato 791197, commonly abbreviated Y-791197, is a lunar meteorite recovered in Antarctica's Yamato Mountains by a Japanese Antarctic research expedition. It is an anorthositic regolith breccia composed of fragments produced and mixed by impacts on the Moon, including material associated with the lunar highlands. Its mineralogy and chemistry established its lunar origin, and it belongs to the earliest group of meteorites recognized as pieces of the Moon rather than asteroids.
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What makes Yamato 791197 scientifically significant?
Yamato 791197 is a confirmed lunar meteorite — a rock blasted off the surface of the Moon by an impact event that later fell to Earth. It provides scientists with lunar surface material outside of the Apollo and Luna sample-return missions.
Where was Yamato 791197 found?
It was recovered in the Yamato Mountains of Antarctica by a Japanese Antarctic research expedition. Antarctica's ice fields are prime meteorite recovery zones because dark meteorites are easily spotted against the ice and preserved by the cold, dry conditions.
What is the composition and classification of Yamato 791197?
Yamato 791197 is classified as an anorthositic regolith breccia, composed of fragments produced and mixed by impacts on the lunar surface. This composition is comparable to the lunar highlands material returned by the Apollo missions.
How did a piece of the Moon end up in Antarctica as Yamato 791197?
A large asteroid impact on the Moon ejected material fast enough to escape lunar gravity, and some of that debris traveled through space before eventually falling to Earth. Yamato 791197 was among the early meteorites confirmed to be of lunar origin.
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