A new study of the Northwest Africa 7034 (NWA 7034) meteorite, also known as “Black Beauty,” provides the oldest direct evidence of the presence of hot water on Mars in its early history.
Black Beauty – a unique rock from Mars
NWA 7034 is a Martian meteorite found in the Sahara Desert in 2011, estimated to be 4.45 billion years old. The rock is composed of fragments from different places on Mars, joined together long before it was ejected into space by an asteroid impact.
A team of scientists from Curtin University in Perth, using modern geochemical and spectroscopic techniques, studied the structure of the zircons found in the meteorite. These zircons, only 50 micrometers in diameter, were formed in magma beneath the surface of Mars. Analyses revealed the presence of elements such as iron, aluminum, yttrium and sodium, arranged in layers indicative of formation in the presence of hot water.
Hot water and the history of Mars
The research shows that hydrothermal conditions existed on Mars as early as 4.45 billion years ago, meaning that the Red Planet may have had environments conducive to the origin of life. The hot water may have come from volcanic activity, similar to what scientists believe fostered the emergence of life on Earth.
“This new study allows us to better understand early Mars by providing geochemical markers of water in the planet’s oldest known crust,” said Aaron Cavosie, lead author of the study from Curtin University.
What do the findings tell us about early meteorite impacts?
Scientists have analyzed zircon deformations in NWA 7034 indicating that powerful meteorite impacts shaped the surface of Mars. The results suggest that these events also occurred after the formation of the meteorite, which changes our previous knowledge of the chronology of the Martian crust.
The Black Beauty studies open up new possibilities for understanding how conditions on Mars may have fostered the emergence of life. They confirm the presence of a key component of the habitable environment – water – in the early formation of the Red Planet.
For more information, see the publication in Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq3694) and the Curtin University website. / Źródło: Curtin University, fot. IFLScience, fot. Curtin University/Aaron Cavosie.
