24 Nov 2013

Meteorite came from Mars 4.4 billion years ago

7:19 am on 24 November 2013

Scientists believe a rock discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2011 is the oldest Martian meteorite ever found.

Earlier research suggested it was about two billion years old, but new tests indicate the rock, which weighs 320g, actually dates to 4.4 billion years ago.

AFP reports it contains 10 times more water than other Martian meteorites and could be the first ever to have originated on the planet's surface or crust.

The research is published in the journal Nature.

There are about 100 Martian meteorites, but the BBC reports almost all of them are younger, dating to between 150 - 600 million years ago.

Weighing 320g, the stone has been given the formal name Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034. It is nicknamed "Black Beauty''.

A BBC science reporter said it would have formed when the Red Planet was in its infancy.

"It is almost certainly coming from the southern highlands - the cratered terrain that makes up the southern hemisphere of Mars," said Professor Munir Humayan of Florida State University.

This would have been a turbulent period of Martian history, when volcanoes were erupting all over the surface.