Analyses conducted on a meteorite found in 2022 in the Sahara Desert in Mali have revealed that it was formed at least 4.1 billion years ago in the crust of the planet Mars, making it the oldest of the 435 Martian meteorites found on Earth to date.
Scientists said the composition of the Teghaza 001 meteorite provides information about the environment of the "red" planet early in its history, as it shows that it had liquid water on its surface, which strengthens the idea that conditions on Mars may have been favorable for the development of microbial life.
NASA planetary scientist Yang Liu, led by Caltech University in California, said the meteorite is "evidence of a time when Mars was probably warmer and wetter than it has been for most of its history."
The chemistry of the meteorite, an igneous rock called gabbro, suggests that it interacted with water as it cooled and slowly crystallized in the Martian subsurface. Although part of the Martian crust, it was formed from magma that came from deeper in the planet's mantle.
Today, Mars is cold, dry and desert, but there is evidence that water existed on its surface, in the form of rivers, lakes and even an ocean in its northern hemisphere billions of years ago.
“Teghaza 001” was found in 8 pieces - the largest was the size of a fist - in the desert. Its main minerals are feldspar and pyroxene, and it also contains zircon crystals that contain the element uranium. Researchers determined its age using a technique based on the radioactive decay of uranium into lead over time. ©LAPSI.al
