Rare Mars meteorite preserves 1.27-billion-year-old clues to planet's deep interior
Boston College scientists have determined that a newly discovered meteorite from Mars is 1.27 billion years old and derived from a previously unsampled, pristine source on the Red Planet. The study is published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
Scientists at Boston College have discovered a rare Martian meteorite, NWA 13441, that is 1.27 billion years old. This meteorite is the first of its kind to be found and provides crucial information about the geological history of Mars. Before this discovery, scientists had no shergottite samples from the period between 2.4 billion years ago and approximately 600 million years ago.
The meteorite's unique characteristics, such as its chondritic neodymium isotopic composition, suggest that a portion of deep Mars remained unaltered by subsequent planetary processes, providing a glimpse into early Martian history.
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