Sahara meteorite found in 2022 is 4.1 billion years old
NASA-funded scientists have identified the 800-gram Teghaza 001 rock as one of the oldest Martian samples ever discovered on Earth.
NASA-funded scientists have determined that a rose-coloured meteorite discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2022 is more than 4.1 billion years old, according to Mint. The 800-gram rock, named Teghaza 001 after the Teghaza salt plain in Mali, is among the three oldest Martian samples found on Earth.
The meteorite contains a mix of volcanic minerals and zircon crystals that provide a record of how the Martian crust developed from cooling magma. Researchers found that water had altered the rock approximately 4.1 billion years ago, suggesting the specimen originally formed even earlier.
To establish the age of the rock, the team employed an in-situ rubidium-strontium dating method created by a team including Caltech co-author Francois Tissot. This technique allows for the examination of individual mineral grains using a sample smaller than a fingernail, which preserves the rest of the rare material.
Lead author Yang Liu of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said the meteorite is unique. Co-author Lee Saper, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, noted that the sample represents the first piece of Martian crust from a previously unstudied area and could preserve traces of the ancient Martian atmosphere.
The findings were presented in a paper published in the journal Science on October 29. The meteorite is one of approximately 435 Martian meteorites identified on Earth, alongside other ancient samples such as ALH84001 and Black Beauty.