2 billion-year-old Martian meteorite found in Sahara Desert, contains water

A 300 grams meteorite that has been age-dated to about two billion years, was discovered in the Sahara desert. After a long testing period, researchers concluded that it came from Mars when the planet had active volcanoes and water.

Martian meteorite found in Sahara contains high levels of water. Photo:Science Magazine

Martian meteorite found in Sahara contains high levels of water. Photo:Science Magazine

Although not the only Martian meteorite found on Earth, this one is different. It seems that the black stone originates from a volcano and contains 10 times more water than other rocks discovered so far. Black colored and weighing 320 grams, Mars’ rock was nicknamed “Black Beauty”. Researchers got into its possession after receiving it as donation from a collector who bought it in 2011 in Morocco. Such meteorites are sometimes sold at exchange of real fortunes as they are used as gemstones in jewelry industry.

An article published in Science Magazine, confirms many similarities with other meteorites from Red Planet, however the amount of water contained in Sahara’s martian rock is much higher. Although the stone looks “dry”, scientists have discovered that it came into contact with water when it formed 2.1 billion years ago.

The "Black Beauty": Mars's water rich asteroid to date from 2 billion years ago. (Science Magazine)

The “Black Beauty”: Mars’s water rich asteroid to date from 2 billion years ago. (Science Magazine)


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Furthermore researchers found evidence that water does not come from earth, after comparing isotopes of meteorite’s oxygen atoms with oxygen atoms present in terrestrial water.

This discovery will help people learn more information about the history of Mars and the existence of liquid water on the red planet.

There are more than 100 Martian meteorites discovered on Earth, with most of them retrieved from Antarctica and Sahara desert. The oldest meteorite dates from 4.5 billion years ago when Mars formed.

How these space rocks got to Earth remains a mystery. It is suspected that an asteroid struck Mars, launching debris into space. Some fell to Earth as meteorites, while others landed on Moon or still float through space.

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