Sahara desert rock identified as 4.1 billion year old Martian meteorite
The Teghaza 001 specimen provides scientists with rare insights into the early crust and water history of Mars.
Scientists have identified a rose-coloured rock found in the Sahara Desert as a piece of Mars dating back 4.1 billion years, according to a report by Business Standard. The specimen, named Teghaza 001, was discovered near an abandoned salt-mining settlement in Mali.
The study, published in the journal Science, describes the meteorite as one of the oldest Martian rocks ever recovered. It contains igneous minerals and zircon crystals that offer a snapshot of the planet a few hundred million years after its formation.
Yang Liu, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said it is very rare to find something this old. The meteorite was initially classified as a shergottite, but the presence of unusual zircons led to further investigation.
Analysis of the rock suggests that abundant water once flowed on Mars. Researchers found water molecules bound within a mineral called apatite, though the analysis also indicated the planet had already lost much of its water to space.
The meteorite arrived on Earth after a meteor impact on Mars knocked the rock into space. A chunk weighing nearly two pounds survived the atmospheric entry and broke into eight pieces upon landing.
Lee Saper, a planetary scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, noted that the findings provide more data points for understanding ancient Mars. Researchers have identified 13 potential locations on Mars where the rock may have originated.