Planetary astronomers discovered that 4.5 billion years ago, the Red Planet could have had a crust comparable to Iceland today. This discovery was hidden in the oldest Martian fragments found on Earth in a meteorite informally named Black Beauty.
Chemical studies revealed that Mars had volcanic activity similar to that found in Iceland and scientists pinpoint where it came from, namely Terra Cimmeria-Sirenum, one of the most ancient regions of Mars, more precisely the Karratha crater. To discuss this discovery and its importance, SETI Institute Senior Astronomer Franck Marchis invited Valerie Payré, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science at the Northern Arizona University who studies the nature and formation of Mars’ crust to determine if Earth and Mars share a common past that includes both a continent-like and ocean-like crust.
This work published in Nature Communications (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31444-8) paves the road to locate the ejection site of other Martian meteorites that will provide the most exhaustive view of the geological history of Mars and will answer one of the most intriguing questions: why did Mars, now dry and cold, evolve so differently from Earth, a flourishing planet for life?
Press release: https://news.nau.edu/payre-martian-meteorite/
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