The Longest Route to Osaka: Martian Meteorite Found in Antarctica on Display at Expo 2025

Mechanism of Meteorite Accumulation

Martian meteorite Yamato 000593 was discovered on the 2-kilometer-thick sheet of blue ice that surrounds the Yamato Mountains. The first nine meteorites discovered by Japanese explorers in 1969 were also found here. (Courtesy the National Institute of Polar Research)

Yamato 000593 from the side. (Courtesy the National Institute of Polar Research)

Yamato 000749 (left) and Yamato 000802 were both found near Yamato 000593. (Courtesy the National Institute of Polar Research)

Route of the 2000 Expedition

Three snowcats pulled a total of 22 sleds on the search for meteorites. (Courtesy the National Institute of Polar Research)

Three snowmobiles drive alongside a snowcat. (Courtesy the National Institute of Polar Research)

Photo from when Yamato 000593 was discovered. (Courtesy the National Institute of Polar Research)

This optical microscope photograph of Yamato 000593 shows that olivine in the rock’s interior has been partially transformed into clay minerals. (Courtesy the National Institute of Polar Research)