ALHA77005, LEW88516, Y793605, GRV 9927, Northwest Africa 1950, YA1075

The martian lherzolites include three specimens collected in different areas of Antarctica. Together they have less mass than any of the other types of martian meteorites, even those having only one specimen. ALHA77005 (482 kg) is available from either the US (MWG) or Japan (NIPR), while the smaller samples LEW88516 (13 g) and Y793605 (18 g) are in the US and Japanese collections, respectively. Both of these tiny samples are relatively recent additions to the martian meteorite family. However, after extensive initial studies, neither of them has sufficient mass for very much further study. (Unfortunately they shrink rather than grow with time curated.)

The lherzolitic shergottites consist of medium-grained olivine and chromite surrounded by large crystals of orthopyroxene and interstitial areas of plagioclase glass and clinopyroxene with accessory oxides and phosphates. Olivine and chromite contain oxidized iron, as does magnetite in the basaltic shergottites. The compositions of the minerals in the lherzolitic shergottites are very similar to those of the xenocrysts in lithology A of basaltic shergottite EETA79001.

The crystallization ages of lherzolitic shergottites are the same as those of basaltic shergottites, 154-187 Ma. Cosmic ray exposure ages also group with the basaltic shergottites, 2.5-3.6 Ma. The terrestrial age of ALHA77005 (190 Ka) is longer than most other martian meteorites. The mineralogical, geochemical, and chronological links between basaltic and lherzolitic shergottites are very strong.

GRV 9927, Northwest Africa 1950, YA1075 are newer classified samples of type Lherzolitic Shergottites.