Researchers have discovered a new ancient Martian meteorite, Teghaza 001, which is at least 4.1 billion years old. This meteorite was found in the Sahara Desert in Mali in 2022 and adds to the small number of ancient Martian meteorites known, which includes Allan Hills 84001 and Black Beauty. The rarity of these ancient rocks on Earth may be linked to the challenges of rocks being ejected from Mars, as only those that survive significant impacts can make it to Earth.
Key facts
- Teghaza 001 is at least 4.1 billion years old.
- The meteorite was found in the Sahara Desert in Mali in 2022.
- Most Martian meteorites on Earth are younger than 2.4 billion years.
- Only two other ancient Martian meteorites are known.
- Yang Liu is a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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