A Californian collector bought a rock in Morocco in 2011 and more than a decade later it turns out to be a much more valuable material
When you find a strange looking rock in the desert, it’s likely worth having some experts take a proper look at it, just like in this case.
More than 10 years ago, a black stone seemingly from Mars was discovered in the Sahara Desert. Scientists have now unraveled one of the best-kept secrets about this meteorite — Northwest Africa 7034 (Black Beauty) — as explained by Xataka.
Martian meteorite gives insight into when Mars might have been habitable
— Alp (@AlpSirman) March 6, 2022
Researchers studying a Martian meteorite have found the first evidence of high-intensity damage caused by asteroid impact on Mars.
Designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, Black Beauty, Credit: NASA pic.twitter.com/mCkuppyEon
The rock was sold to a U.S. collector in Morocco, and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is composed of both very ancient and relatively young minerals — a distinction not seen in other meteorites of its kind. Apparently, it once formed part of the Martian crust that broke away from the planet, according to NASA.
Martian rock age about 4.45 billion years
One of the most fascinating aspects of this meteorite is that it contains a zircon — a transparent, white or yellowish-reddish mineral — that dates back about 4.45 billion years, placing it in the earliest stages of Martian history. The age of NWA 7034 provides insight into what the environment of the Red Planet was like long before it became what we know today.
Another exceptional feature of this meteorite is that it harbors ten times more water than other meteorites from Mars. In addition, Black Beauty contains iron, aluminum, and sodium, elements unusual in this type of mineral. However, it is the presence of magnetite — iron oxide — that suggests the mineral crystallized in water at high temperatures in an oxidizing environment. In other words, Mars already had water during its formation and the necessary conditions to support microbial life.
Researchers explain that the magnetite is found in parts of the zircon that remain unaltered by radiation, indicating that they formed at the same time as the zircon rather than as a result of later secondary processes. Despite these findings, the possibility of life on Mars or its arrival on Earth via meteorites remains a hypothesis without conclusive evidence.
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