Image: Out of this world research: UGA analyzes and names new meteorite UGA Today By Savannah Peat Geologists study space rock that crash-landed in a Georgia residence A mysterious extraterrestrial visitor now has a permanent home and identity, thanks to University of Georgia researchers. The newly named McDonough Meteorite crash landed in Atlanta on June 26 after catching eyes across the Southeast as the fireball streaked through the daytime sky. Multiple fragments, which tore through a residential roof in Henry County, were turned over to a UGA planetary geologist and impact expert to determine its origin and classification. This is the 27th meteorite recovered in Georgia in history, and the sixth witnessed fall. The meteorite will be stored at UGA for further analysis. Additional pieces that fell in the area on June 26 will be displayed publicly at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville. Read the full article by Savannah Peat: Out of this world research: UGA analyzes and names new meteorite McDonough Meteorite - Interview with Scott Harris, a researcher in the UGA Department of Geology. Other Planetary Research in the Department of Geology Comparing the effects of terrestrial and simulated Martian weathering on mineral composition Research by: Dr. Paul Schroeder and Ph.D. Candidate Taran Bradley NWA 4925 is a Shergottite meteorite that is estimated to have been ejected from Mars 1.1 million years ago [1, 2]. An important feature of this meteorite is that it has a terrestrial weathering rind, allowing study between the exposed and the unexposed “fresh” surface of the meteorite. This weathering rind is visible in the photo below. Our research focuses on comparing the effects of terrestrial and simulated Martian weathering on mineral composition and associated spectroscopic features at the micron level. This data will be used to “ground truth” remote sensing spectroscopy data on Mars and analog sites on Earth, providing researchers with a better understanding of how surficial alteration changes mineral composition. Back Scatter Electron (BSE) image showing the contact between the weathering rind (left) and fresh surface (right) or NWA 4925. Center for Planetary Tectonics at the University of Georgia Dr. Christian Klimczak Associate Professor, Director of CPT Research in the Center for Planetary Tectonics focuses on microscopic analyses of deformed rock, mapping and analysis of the structural relationships on the outcrop- and local-scale, and on the characterization of regional-scale fault zone architecture and fault-fold relationships in many interesting regions on Earth and on the other terrestrial planetary bodies as well. Also of interest are global-scale problems on the interaction of volcanism and tectonics, such as volcanism in convergent tectonic regimes and the mechanics of large igneous dike intrusions. Rocks and their fracturing behaviors are analyzed in the field, in the lab, and from remotely sensed data, also making use of numerical, conceptual and experimental modeling. CPT website: Center for Planetary Tectonics at UGA CPT on YouTube: CPT CPT at UGA CPT Publications (2025) Bledsoe, S. A., and Klimczak, C.: Global distribution of canali on Venus. Journal of Maps 21(1), 2465669, 2025. doi:10.1080/17445647.2025.2465669. PDF Cheng, H. C. J., and Klimczak, C.: Tectonic patterns on Vesta and Ceres revealed by polygonal impact craters. Icarus 433, 2465669, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116528. PDF Cheng, H. C. J., Klimczak, C., and Matsuyama, I.: Reorientation and despinning of 4 Vesta formed the Divalia Fossae. Science Advances 11, eads7984, 2025. doi:10.1126/sciadv.ads7984. PDF Klimczak, C., Crane K. T., and Byrne, P. K.: Mercury has multiple, superposed global tectonic patterns. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 658, 1199331, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119331. PDF Loveless, S. R.., and Klimczak, C.: Several kilometers of global contraction on Mercury: A sample-size independent assessment of fault strain. AGU Advances 6, e2025AV001715, 2025. doi:10.1029/2025AV001715. PDF Loveless, S. R., Klimczak, C., Crane K. T., and Byrne, P. K.: Geometric forward modeling of thrust systems underlying shortening landforms on Mercury. Journal of Structural Geology 198, 105449, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2025.105449. PDF Type of News/Audience: Department News Research Areas: Planetary Geology Read More: UGA Today
