Pink meteorite from Mali holds crystals from Mars's first 400 million years and traces of water
Teghaza 001 was first taken for an ordinary Martian rock, but turns out to be among the oldest pieces of the red planet found on Earth.
A meteorite found on a salt flat in Mali in 2022 is at least 4.1 billion years old, making it one of the oldest pieces of Mars ever to reach Earth, VRT NWS reports on the basis of research also covered by CNN. Teghaza 001 consists of eight fragments weighing a combined 798.5 grams and, according to Live Science, belongs to the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in the United States.
The rock was initially classed as a shergottite, the most common type of Martian meteorite, which is usually less than 600 million years old. Further study revealed zircon, tiny crystals that form when molten rock cools and that can be dated precisely. They show the rock formed within the planet's first 400 million years. Live Science notes that the rock is rich in silica and resembles granite more than the basalt that covers most of the Martian surface.
A study published in the journal Science at the end of October confirms that the rock came into contact with water in the Martian crust more than 4 billion years ago. An earlier study based on the same meteorite suggested that Mars lost much of its original atmosphere early on. By comparing its composition with data from Mars missions, researchers narrowed its origin down to thirteen possible sites in the southern highlands, according to VRT NWS.