Algeria-found Martian meteorite reveals hidden era of Mars history
1.27-billion-year-old meteorite offers new clues about volcanic activity and geological processes during poorly understood period
ALGIERS, Algeria (MNTV) — A Martian meteorite discovered in Algeria has been dated to 1.27 billion years ago, providing scientists with rare evidence from a largely unexplored period in the Red Planet’s geological history.
Researchers analyzed a 0.9-gram sample and determined its age through its mineral and chemical characteristics, according to a study published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
The meteorite, designated Northwest Africa 13441, was found in the Sahara in 2019.
The discovery helps address a major gap in the known record of Martian meteorites. Of roughly 400 identified Martian specimens, none had previously been dated between about 600 million and 2.4 billion years ago.
Most known Martian meteorites belong to the shergottite group and date to roughly 600 million years ago, while only two specimens are believed to be about 2.4 billion years old. NWA 13441 therefore provides evidence from a period that has remained largely inaccessible to scientists.
Researchers found that the meteorite shares characteristics with shergottites but also contains traces of neodymium, a rare-earth element more commonly associated with chondritic material dating to the early formation of the solar system.
Ethan Baxter, an Earth and environmental science professor at Boston College and a co-author of the study, said the meteorite’s characteristics were unexpected because no other Martian meteorite of the same type had previously been dated to 1.27 billion years.
Scientists determine the age of such rocks by examining when their minerals crystallized from molten material. They believe NWA 13441 formed near the boundary between Mars’ crust and mantle before volcanic activity brought the material to the surface.
The meteorite is not the oldest Martian rock discovered on Earth, as some specimens date back more than 4 billion years. Its importance instead comes from its age and composition, which provide evidence from a period poorly represented among known Martian samples.
Mars formed relatively quickly, reaching most of its present size within about 5 million years after the formation of the solar system. Unlike Earth, the planet lacks active plate tectonics, allowing some ancient materials within its interior to remain comparatively well preserved.
The unusual combination of shergottite and chondritic characteristics in NWA 13441 suggests that portions of Mars may have retained relatively unchanged material despite billions of years of geological activity.
Researchers believe the meteorite could represent a previously unsampled region of Mars or material produced by interactions between chemically different types of shergottites.
The scientists hope further study of the meteorite will reveal more about Martian volcanic and magmatic activity during the roughly two-billion-year period missing from the existing meteorite record and provide new insights into the planet’s early geological evolution.
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