The Black Beauty meteorite is the oldest chunk of Mars that has ever been found on Earth, scientists say in an update.
The rock, found in the Sahara Desert, was originally believed to be formed 2.1 billion years ago.
But researchers in an update to the rock say the Black Beauty is actually 4.4. billion years old.
The adjustment comes after scientists identified parts of the meteorite that were older than others.
While the origin of the rock has been determined at 4.4 billion years old, an event such as a comet or asteroid impact, or a volcanic eruption, could have added the younger material to the original crust, Carl Agee, a professor at the University of New Mexico, told BBC.
“It consists of at least half a dozen different rock types,” he said. We see different igneous rock types, sedimentary rock types… this is a very complex meteorite. This meteorite continues to reveal its secrets – we’re very excited about this.
NASA researchers said when the rock was first discovered that it is made up of emented fragments of basalt-rock that forms from rapidly cooled lava–primarily felsdpar and pyoxene, as a result of volcanic activity.
At the time of its origin, volcanic eruptions are thought to have been happening regularly, and there was one particularly big volcanic episode all over the surface. After that, the eruptions began to decline quickly, and the surface crusted up.
“When it did this it also must have out-gassed water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other gases to produce a primordial atmosphere… and also a primordial ocean,” said Munir Humayan of Florida State University, who led the study. “This is a very exciting period of time – if there were to be life on Mars, it would have originated at this particular time.”
Humayan said that the Black Beauty, which likely came from the cratered terrain in the southern hemisphere of Mars, “tells us about one of the most important epochs in the history of Mars.”
The research was published in the journal Nature.
