Sahara meteorite is a piece of Mars at least 4.1B years old

When a rose-colored rock turned up in the Sahara in 2022, nobody knew its age or origin. NASA-funded scientists have now dated its minerals. They found it formed in the Martian crust at least 4.1 billion years ago. That makes the meteorite, Teghaza 001, one of the oldest from Mars found on Earth. NASA and Reuters reported it October 29.

A meteorite is a chunk of rock that fell from space. Only 435 are known to have come from Mars, Reuters reports. Teghaza 001 weighs nearly 2 pounds and gives scientists a sample of the planet's early crust. They identified 13 spots on Mars that match its minerals and chemistry. That narrows where it may have come from. A study co-author said the results support the idea that early Mars had the ingredients and conditions for life. They do not answer whether life existed there.

Keep reading — what to watch

Will more of these rocks be traced to specific spots on Mars? Watch whether other teams test those 13 locations against Teghaza 001. Watch, too, what the rock's minerals add to what we know about conditions on early Mars.