Named Teghaza 001, the 800-gram specimen was verified as Martian through oxygen isotope analysis conducted by University of New Mexico scientists. A collaborative team utilized an in-situ rubidium-strontium dating technique developed with California Institute of Technology researchers to evaluate individual grains while protecting the rock. The resulting analysis detected zircon crystals and igneous minerals altered by water roughly 4.1 billion years ago, implying an even older original formation. Additionally, Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists noted the stone captured traces of the Martian atmosphere during a critical era of water loss.
Key points
The ancient meteorite provides direct physical evidence that liquid water actively intera…: The ancient meteorite provides direct physical evidence that liquid water actively interacted with the early Martian crust.
Chemical traces preserved inside the rock offer valuable clues about the Martian atmosphe…: Chemical traces preserved inside the rock offer valuable clues about the Martian atmosphere during an era of water loss.
Scientists still need to identify the precise geographic location on Mars where the rock…: Scientists still need to identify the precise geographic location on Mars where the rock originally formed.
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A rock that spent more than four billion years preserving clues about Mars' early history was found lying in the Sahara Desert, looking like an ordinary pink stone. Discovered in 2022, the 800-gram rock has since turned out to be one of the oldest Martian meteorites ever identified on Earth. Its mineral composition contains evidence of ancient volcanic activity and interactions between water and rock, offering scientists a rare opportunity to study what Mars was like billions of years before it became the cold, dry planet we know today.
In a
NASA report published on October 29, 2026, the agency detailed findings from a NASA-funded study of the meteorite, named Teghaza 001 after the salt plain in Mali where it was discovered. According to the primary source, NASA-funded researchers, including scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, determined that the rock formed more than 4.1 billion years ago. The
findings, published in the journal Science, provide a new look at the formation of the Martian crust and the role water played in shaping the planet's early surface.
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