Sahara meteorite identified as 4.1-billion-year-old fragment of Mars
The Teghaza 001 meteorite contains minerals that provide evidence of water on the planet during its early history, according to Moneycontrol.
Scientists have identified a pink-coloured meteorite found in the Sahara Desert as a 4.1-billion-year-old piece of Mars, according to Moneycontrol. The specimen, named Teghaza 001 after a salt-mining settlement in Mali, is among the oldest Martian rocks ever discovered on Earth.
The meteorite was found four years ago in the Sahara. While initially classified as a shergottite, researchers noticed zircon crystals within the sample, which led to further investigation. Using uranium isotope ratios, scientists determined the crystals were approximately 4.1 billion years old.
The rock contains minerals and water molecules that offer a look into the early history of Mars. Researchers found that water was abundant on the planet when the rock formed, though Mars had already begun losing much of it. The water in the meteorite came from two sources: magma from the mantle and material from the surface and atmosphere.
Yang Liu, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and lead author of the study, said it is very rare to find something this old. Arya Udry, a professor of geoscience at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, noted the sample has an unusual mineral composition compared to other Martian meteorites.
The meteorite likely reached Earth after being blasted into space by a strike on Mars. By comparing the rock to data from robotic spacecraft, the team identified 13 possible locations of origin on Mars, though the exact site remains unknown.