GoKawiilNASA scientist dates Martian meteorite Teghaza 001 at 4.1 billion years old
A research team led by planetary scientist Yang Liu of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has determined that the Martian meteorite Teghaza 001, discovered in Mali in 2022, formed at least 4.1 billion years ago. This makes it only the third confirmed ancient Martian meteorite on Earth, joining Allan Hills 84001 and Black Beauty, and the first that is a single intact igneous rock rather than a mixed or jumbled sample.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Most Martian meteorites found on Earth are far younger than the planet's 3-billion-year-old surface, suggesting that older rocks rarely survive the impacts needed to launch debris into space. Liu suggests that weaker or looser ancient material may simply fail to become cemented rock capable of escaping Mars' gravity, which could explain the scarcity of old samples. An intact ancient rock like Teghaza 001 could offer researchers a rare, less biased window into the composition of Mars' earliest crust.
- Teghaza 001, found in Mali in 2022, has been dated to at least 4.1 billion years old.
- It joins Allan Hills 84001 and Black Beauty as only the third known ancient Martian meteorite.
- Unlike Black Beauty, which is a mix of soil and fragments, Teghaza 001 is a single intact igneous rock.
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Published there as: “Rare meteorite from Mars gives us a view into its ancient crust”
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