Teghaza 001: 4.1-Billion-Year-Old Mars Meteorite Found in Sahara Desert

Teghaza 001 Latest News

A rose-coloured meteorite discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2022 named Teghaza 001 has turned out to be one of the oldest pieces of Mars ever found on Earth.

About Teghaza 001

• It is a rose-coloured meteorite discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2022.  
• The meteorite was named after the Teghaza salt plain in Mali, where it was discovered.
• It is among roughly 435 Martian meteorites identified on Earth and is considered one of the three most ancient samples of the Red Planet found so far.
  • The other two among the three most ancient Martian meteorites found on Earth are ALH84001 and a sample nicknamed Black Beauty.  
• The meteorite weighs nearly 800 grams. 
• It dates back more than 4.1 billion years, when the mineral zircon crystallized from molten magma on Mars. 
• Because zircon allows exceptionally precise radiometric dating, this immediately placed the meteorite alongside the two other Martian remnants of a similar age. 
• Analysis showed that Teghaza 001’s texture and composition do not match any other known meteorite group.  
• What impressed researchers most was the presence of chemical markers indicating that the rock had been in contact with liquid water during its formation and evolution. 
• This makes Teghaza 001 a direct witness to an era when Mars was wet and potentially suitable for life to emerge. 

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Meteoroid, a meteor, or meteorite?

• Meteoroids: Meteoroids are bits of solid material of different sizes orbiting the Sun.  
• Meteors When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs, or “shooting stars,” are called meteors.
• Meteorites: When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.

News: LM