In March 2004 it was suggested that the meteorite originated from the
Martian moon Phobos. The reason
Phobos has been suggested is the existence of two extremely rare
alkaline-rich
clasts visible in the meteorite, each of which entered the rock at different times. This suggests that the
parent body would have been near a source of an alkaline-rich rock, which is almost wholly produced by
deep differentiation. This points to Mars and one of its moons, and Phobos is more likely than
Deimos because it is closer to Mars. However, mineralogical and noble gas work do not tie the lithic fragments to Mars, as they have other proven Martian meteorites, and this hypothesized link is tenuous at best. In support of the Phobos hypothesis, in 2017 two scientists at the
Western University found that meteorites originating from Phobos (and even Deimos) can travel to Earth. ==See also==