Scientists Discover 4.1-Billion-Year-Old Mars Meteorite In Pink Rock Found In Sahara Desert

A mysterious pink rock discovered in the Sahara Desert in Mali has turned out to be a rare piece of Mars. The nearly two-pound rock, found in 2022, is believed to have formed more than 4.1 billion years ago. Scientists say the discovery could help them understand what Mars looked like in its early days and how water moved across the planet, reported PEOPLE.

According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the meteorite is among the oldest pieces of Mars ever discovered on Earth. The findings were published in the scientific journal Science.

The meteorite has been named Teghaza 001 after the salt plain in Mali where it was discovered. According to NASA, it is one of around 435 known meteorites that have come from Mars.

Yang Liu, the lead author of the study and a scientist at JPL, said researchers realised that the rock was unusual only after examining it closely. One of the reviewers of the research paper described it as a Rosetta Stone for Mars.

Scientists were especially interested in the different minerals found inside the meteorite. These minerals provide evidence of activity that took place during the early stages of Mars' formation.

Unlike other ancient Martian meteorites, Teghaza 001 contains several types of minerals formed from molten rock. These findings could help scientists understand how Mars' outer rocky layer developed as hot, melted material cooled billions of years ago.

Lee Saper, the second author of the study and a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Centre, said the meteorite is the first sample of Martian crust from a part of the planet that scientists have not studied before. 

He added that the rock records how water interacted with rocks and may also contain signs of the Martian atmosphere from the time when the planet was losing water.

According to NASA, meteorites from Mars reach Earth when powerful impacts send pieces of the planet's surface into space. Some of these pieces eventually travel towards Earth.

Scientists identify Martian meteorites by studying their chemical makeup and comparing it with information collected through NASA's missions to Mars.

In the case of Teghaza 001, researchers at the University of New Mexico first confirmed that it came from Mars by examining its oxygen isotopes. These help scientists identify where a rock originally came from.

Yang Liu and her team at JPL later joined the research along with Caltech scientist Francois Tissot.

The researchers used an advanced dating method to study individual mineral grains from a sample smaller than a fingernail. This technique helped them examine the rock while keeping most of the meteorite untouched for future research.

The study found that water had changed the rock around 4.1 billion years ago. This means the meteorite itself must have formed even earlier.

Scientists believe the discovery could help them understand how water was present and moved across Mars during its early history.