Meteorite found in the Sahara shows what Mars was like 4.1 billion years ago
Scientists say the 800-gram rock preserves minerals and isotopes that record early crust formation and water activity on Mars.
- On Thursday, researchers published a study in Science characterizing Teghaza 001, a meteorite discovered in Mali that provides a rare snapshot of Mars' ancient crust and evidence of early water.
- Lead author Yang Liu of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory called the meteorite 'a witness to a time when Mars was likely warmer and wetter,' offering critical clues about the planet's habitability and ancient environmental history.
- Discovered in eight pieces, the nearly 800-gram rock differs from the 2.1 billion-year-old 'Black Beauty,' with unique igneous minerals indicating water percolated into the crust as it cooled and crystallized.
- Multiple lines of evidence in Teghaza 001 show hydrogen and oxygen isotopes confirm water percolated into Mars' deeper crust, bolstering the notion that primordial Mars may have been conducive to microbial life.
- Study co-author Lee Saper of NASA's Ames Research Center said the rock complements satellite data, revealing how early Mars' evolution diverged from Earth's when life was beginning on our planet.
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174 Articles
Westfalenpost
The one kilogram heavy, conspicuously pink boulder was discovered in 2022 in the Sahara in Mali. Its origin surprised.
The one kilogram heavy, conspicuously pink boulder was discovered in 2022 in the Sahara in Mali. Its origin surprised.
Tracks about the aquatic past are found in Mars meteorite found in the Sahara.
The Teghaza 001 meteorite is 4.1 billion years old, making it one of the oldest pieces of Mars ever found on Earth. This is evident from research on the rock, which was discovered in the Sahara in 2022. Scientists deduce from the meteorite that water was present on the surface of Mars during the early period.
It is one of the oldest Martian meteorites found on Earth.The space rock reveals new clues about what the conditions of the Red Planet were like in its most remote past.
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