Mineral dating of the Martian meteorite Teghaza 001 indicates that water altered the rock around 4.1 billion years ago. The finding places its original formation earlier and makes the specimen a record of ancient Martian crust.
The approximately 800-gram meteorite was found in Mali in 2022. NASA’s October 29 research account describes the initial characterization published that day in Science.
Dating minerals connects laboratory measurements to events in a rock’s history. In Teghaza 001, the age associated with alteration records interaction with water rather than simply the moment the original rock formed.
Researchers also examined mineral chemistry, texture, and oxygen isotopes. Those properties preserve information about the conditions under which water and rock interacted on early Mars.
The October study complements a separate paper published in Science Advances in June concerning the meteorite’s water content. Together, the investigations connect the sample’s composition with an ancient episode of alteration, providing physical evidence of water’s interaction with Martian crust.
