A meteorite discovered in the Sahara in 2022 is offering scientists a rare glimpse into Mars’ early environment. Named Teghaza 001, the roughly two-pound fragment is estimated to be at least 4.1 billion years old and is among the oldest known samples from the planet.
Research published in Science and Science Advances found that the meteorite preserves evidence of interactions between Martian crust and the planet’s ancient hydrosphere. Tiny crystals of apatite contain hydrogen signatures from two sources: Mars’ interior and its former water-rich environment.
The findings suggest that materials from magma deep within Mars exchanged with water at the surface early in the planet’s history. The rock dates to about 500 million years after Mars and the rest of the solar system formed, making it a record of processes that took place during the planet’s early existence.
Yang Liu of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said a reviewer described the meteorite as a “Rosetta Stone for Mars.” Co-researcher Lee Saper said it is the first sample of Martian crust from a region of the planet not previously represented in samples, and may preserve an imprint of the atmosphere as Mars was losing water.
Mars is now cold and barren, but evidence from space missions indicates that it once had rivers, lakes and possibly larger bodies of water. How the planet changed over billions of years remains an open question. Teghaza 001’s preserved traces of water and rock interaction could help scientists investigate that transformation.
Sources: WIRED.