This 4-billion-year-old Martian meteorite fell to Earth - and scientists used a genius trick to work out exactly where it came from
NASA scientists have identified a 4.1-billion-year-old Martian meteorite named Teghaza 001. Using a new in-situ rubidium-strontium dating technique, researchers were able to pinpoint its origin to the southern highlands of Mars without destroying the sample.
Why it matters
This discovery provides critical insights into the early formation of the Martian crust and the planet's history with subsurface water.
We now know more about the history of Mars than we did just six months ago, after two separate teams of NASA scientists analysed a pinkish meteorite found on a salt plain in Mali back in 2022.
The rose-coloured, 800g lump of rock is called Teghaza 001, and was originally believed to be a ‘shergottite’ – the most common form of Martian meteorite.
Upon closer inspection, however, the scientists realised that Teghaza 001 is in fact one of the oldest Martian meteorites ever discovered.
It dates back some 4.1 billion years, making it roughly the same age as the previous record-holder, ALH84001 – and two billion years older than the next-oldest contender, Black Beauty .
However, ALH84001 is composed of a single mineral, whereas Teghaza 001 features a variety of igneous materials.
This enabled the scientists to determine roughly whereabouts on Mars it originated.
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