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Frontiers in Mars Sample Chronology March 24-25, 2021 A virtual workshop sponsored by The Meteoritical Society and The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland Determining the absolute ages of Mars samples is a key objective for current and future Mars exploration. Recent work on martian meteorites has pushed the analytical envelope in Mars sample geochronology; this work informs future plans for the geochronology of samples returned to Earth through Mars Sample Return, an effort that starts with the collection and caching of samples by the NASA Mars 2020 Mission. The goal of this workshop is to review recent results; identify and elaborate on the frontiers in spatial and isotopic resolution, and minimum sample mass; and consider advances that will be required to optimize the geochronology of future samples of Mars. Registration is free, but pre-registration is required. Abstract deadline is 5th March. We hope you can join us! Co-conveners: James Darling, University of Portsmouth Christopher Herd, University of Alberta More…

James J. Papike passed away on Dec. 21, 2020, at the age of 83. He was emeritus director of the Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico and Fellow of the Meteoritical Society. He was active in and had been an officer or councilor in the Mineralogical Society of America (president), the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society (president), the Society of Economic Geologists, the National Academy of Sciences, the Universities Space Research Association, and numerous other professional organizations. More…

Renew your MetSoc membership before Jan. 20 to avoid loss of MaPS subscription. More…

Interactions between the interior and atmosphere of terrestrial planets are modulated by the planets’ bulk composition, which in turn is linked to the chemical properties of their host stars. As stellar photosphere and planetary atmosphere can be directly probed, compositional properties of the rocky interior can only be inferred from other data. What constraints can be placed on the range of possible compositions of terrestrial exoplanets? How do surface-interior interactions shape atmospheric properties of rocky worlds around other stars? How diverse is the physical and chemical parameter space of these exo-worlds? We invite contributions - from geodynamics, geochemistry, cosmochemistry as well as astrophysics - that explore physical and chemical links between stars and planets and between rocky interior and atmosphere, and their implications for planet long-term evolution. More…

H. Jay Melosh (Purdue University) passed away on September 11, 2020, after a five-decade career in impact geophysics. Jay received the Barringer Medal (1999) and was a Fellow of the Meteoritical Society. More…

A special issue of Meteoritics and Planetary Science honoring John T. Wasson, who passed away on 8 September 2020 is planned for fall 2021. Wasson spent more than 50 years as a professor and meteorite researcher at UCLA. He was President of the Meteoritical Society in 1979-1980. He received the Leonard Medal from the Meteoritical Society in 2002 and the J. Lawrence Smith award from the National Academy of Sciences in 2003. The mineral wassonite (TiS) and an asteroid (4783 Wasson) were named in his honor. Manuscripts should be submitted before 28 February 2021 at the MAPS website and will be reviewed following the regular MAPS procedures. Prior notification of submission to Sasha Krot will help to speed up the review process. Articles should be as concise as possible and should not exceed 16 printed pages. The journal assesses a charge of $70 per page for each printed page over this limit. Authors should limit their appreciations of John Wasson to one or two sentences in the acknowledgements. A tribute to John will preface the issue. Sasha Krot, Alan Rubin, and Ed Scott Special issue associate editors More…

John Taylor Wasson, Emeritus Professor in UCLA’s Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, passed away peacefully at his long-time home in Los Angeles on September 8, 2020, at the age of 86. He had suffered a stroke in January, but had courageously battled back, improving in many ways, before his sudden passing. John was passionate about meteorites and what their properties reveal about the formation and early evolution of the Solar System. Over a research career spanning six decades, he left a rich legacy of contributions to meteoritics and planetary science. More…

The monthly lectures at the UCLA Meteorite Gallery are open to members of the Meteoritical Society. The UCLA Meteorite Gallery Lecture Series will now operate on the third Sunday of every month. More…

Institute of Meteoritics (IOM) at University of New Mexico is holding their weekly seminars every Tuesday by telecon and would like to open these seminars to any member of the society interested in attending. More…

Dr. Christian Koeberl (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, and University of Vienna) is awarded the Service Award for 2021 for his transformative decade-long tenure as Director General of the Naturhistorisches Museum during which the museum was extensively modernized and renovated resulting in a doubling of the number of visitors. He is also recognized for his tireless public outreach activities in meteoritics and impact cratering and impressive societal service contributions. More…