Rare Meteorite From Mars Offers a Look at Its Ancient Crust

A meteorite found in the Sahara has been identified as a rare piece of the ancient crust of Mars, giving researchers a physical sample from an early chapter of the planet's geology.

Most rocks from Mars reach Earth as meteorites that were knocked off the surface by impacts and eventually landed here. Scientists have recovered a number of them from desert regions, where dry conditions and open ground make finds easier. Samples that represent old crust are much rarer than the younger volcanic rocks that make up most of the Martian meteorite collection, which is why this find stands out.

Ancient crust can reveal how the planet's outer layer formed and changed over billions of years, information that is hard to get from orbit or from the handful of landers that have worked on the surface. A sample like this can be studied in a laboratory for its mineral makeup and age, letting researchers compare it with what missions have observed on Mars.

The source material does not give further details about the specimen's size, the date of its discovery, or the team behind the analysis, so those points are not covered here.