What Does Achondritic Mean?

An achondrite is a stony meteorite that does not contain chondrules. It consists of material similar to terrestrial basalts or plutonic rocks and has been differentiated and reprocessed to a lesser or greater degree due to melting and recrystallization on or within meteorite parent bodies.

Are achondrites rare?

Achondites are rare. Only a very few % of all meteorites are achondrites. They are so rare because they have to get blasted off a planetary body during an impact event in which they have to reach escape velocity, otherwise they just fall back to the planetary body from which they tried to escape in the first place.

Where do most achondrites come from?

Achondrites account for about 8% of meteorites overall, and the majority (about two thirds) of them are HED meteorites, possibly originating from the crust of asteroid 4 Vesta. Other types include Martian, Lunar, and several types thought to originate from as-yet unidentified asteroids.