It is already known where the Martian meteorite known as ‘Black Beauty’ came from. A team of scientists has just published a study in the journal Nature Communications detailing the process by which the probable origin of the meteorite has been located: Terra Cimmeria-Sirenum , one of the oldest regions on Mars.
The finding could provide valuable information about our planet , since it is believed that the red planet had a crust similar to that of Iceland today, more than 4.5 billion years ago. The discovery would help explain, for example, how Earth became a garden for life and Mars did not.
” This meteorite recorded the first stage of the evolution of Mars and, by extension, of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth”, explains Valerie Payré, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences. “Since Earth lost its ancient surface primarily due to plate tectonics, observing these settings in extremely old terrain on Mars is a rare window into ancient Earth’s surface that we lost long ago.”
What can the Martian meteorite tell us about Earth?
The team of researchers set out to find the origin of the meteorite, which has the official name NWA-Northwest Africa-7034 after the place where it was found. The chemistry of the meteor indicates that the volcanic activity on Mars was similar to that on Earth . The stone, moreover, was present in the first stage of the evolution of the red planet and, by extension, of all rocky planets, such as Earth. Although it was ejected from the surface of Mars between 5 and 10 million years ago after an asteroid impact, its place of origin and geological context has been an enigma. Until now.
After studying the chemical and physical properties of ‘Black Beauty’, scientists concluded the meteorite came from Terra Cimmeria-Sirenum, one of the oldest regions on Mars. Finding the exact crater from which it emerged is not an easy task as the Martian planet is plagued with them. In an earlier study, a team of scientists led by Anthony Lagain of Curtin University, Australia, developed a crater detection algorithm that uses high-resolution images of the Martian surface to identify small impact craters, finding about 90 million up to 50 meters in diameter. In the present study, they were able to isolate the most plausible ejection site: the Karratha crater .
“For the first time, we know the geological context of the only ‘brecciated’ Martian sample (made up of fragments of different meteorites) available on Earth, 10 years before NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission sent back the samples collected by the rover Perseverance, which is currently exploring Jezero Crater,” Lagain said.
Researchers are also further studying the nature and formation of Mars’ crust to learn if Mars and Earth share a common past that includes continental and oceanic crust. They use orbital observations captured in this region to investigate whether traces of volcanism similar to those in Iceland exist on Mars.
“To this day, the complexity of the Martian crust is not known, and knowing the origin of these amazing ancient fragments could lead future rover and space missions to explore the Terra Sirenum-Cimmeria region that hides the truth of the Earth. evolution of Mars, and perhaps of Earth,” said Valerie Payré. “This work paves the way to pinpoint the ejection site of other Martian meteorites that will provide the most comprehensive view of Mars’ geological history and answer one of the most intriguing questions: why did Mars, now dry and cold, evolve from way so different from Earth, a planet thriving for life?”
The algorithm designed by the researchers is capable of detecting impact craters on Mercury and the Moon, which could serve to learn more about their geographical history, their formation and evolution. The recently presented work represents a starting point to guide future investigations of the Solar System.
Referencia: Lagain, A., Bouley, S., Zanda, B. et al. 2022. Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite. Nat Commun. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31444-8
