[RightWhale]

There have been a few meteorites of Martian origin found. Right now there are a few good places to look, the desert of Oman being one. As to whether the rocks were recently blasted off the surface of Mars, I don't see any reason why that would be necessary. They could have been flying around the solar system for a very long time before just recently landing on earth. Meteorites landing earlier than a few million years ago would be buried by now by the constant deposits of micrometeorites if by nothing else.

I would agree that we need to go to Mars in person --not just send robots-- and the present orbiter, Odyssey, is looking for various mineral deposits such as water that would aid a Mars settlement. They will also focus their excellent scientific cameras on the various features such as the Face to get a better look. I think it's all natural formations, but if it will assist the effort to launch a Mars settlement, I will join you in claiming the features might be manmade.

[medved]

If there's any justice in the world, the Japanese and Russians will make a bombshell tourist attraction out of Cydonia while the NASA and JPL feebs all die poor.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Best (only ?) place to find confirmed Martian meteorite samples is the Antartic center regions where there is little snowfall and long-lived flat ice regions. The melting ice (and white background) allow you to "see" the black rocks - otherwise, the meteorites are hidden by the sea, the plant-life, desert sand and rocks, and the earth's natural rocks.

Everyplace has this many meteorites, its just you can't see the them.

Usually, those walking that area in Antartica get 1 -2 meteorite rocks per 4 square miles ... most of course, are common generic stony. Only a few (less than twenty) are clearly from Martian "splashes" that actually threw Martian rock high enough to go into orbit and eventually pass into the earth's atmosphere.