Recent scientific investigations indicate that the Martian meteorite designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, more colloquially identified as ‘Black Beauty,’ was propelled into space approximately 5 to 10 million years ago originating from a cosmic impact scar within the Terra Cimmeria-Sirenum region, situated in the southern hemisphere of Mars.
An artist’s impression of where an asteroid hit the surface of Mars 5-10 million years ago, ejected NWA 7034 and its transit to the Earth. Image credit: Curtin University.
NWA 7034, weighing in at roughly 320 grams, is classified as a regolith breccia originating from the planet Mars.
This specimen, commonly referred to as ‘Black Beauty,’ was initially unearthed in the desert expanse of the Moroccan Sahara in the year 2011.
NWA 7034 harbors the most ancient igneous Martian material yet subjected to radiometric dating, with an age estimation of approximately 4.5 billion years.
“‘Black Beauty’ represents the sole brecciated Martian sample currently accessible on Earth, which implies that it comprises angular fragments from numerous rock types bound together; this characteristic distinguishes it from all other Martian meteorites, which are composed of singular rock types,” stated Dr. Anthony Lagain, a principal investigator at the Space Science and Technology Centre at Curtin University.
“For the first time, we have ascertained the geological provenance of the only brecciated Martian sample available on our planet, a decade ahead of NASA’s Mars Sample Return initiative, which is slated to deliver samples collected by the Perseverance rover presently traversing the Jezero crater.”
NWA 7034. Image credit: NASA.
Leveraging a high-performance computing facility at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, in conjunction with the Curtin HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch), Dr. Lagain and his research cohort meticulously examined an extensive dataset of high-resolution planetary imagery employing a machine learning algorithm designed for the identification of impact craters.
Their analysis concluded that NWA 7034 is associated with the ejecta material from the Khujirt crater, which was formed 1.5 billion years ago. It was subsequently ejected due to the formation of the Karratha crater, occurring 5-10 million years ago.
“Identifying the territorial origin of the ‘Black Beauty’ meteorite is of paramount importance as it contains the earliest known Martian fragments, with an age of 4.48 billion years, and exhibits parallels between Mars’ ancient crust, estimated at approximately 4.53 billion years old, and the continental landmasses of present-day Earth,” Dr. Lagain commented.
“The geographical zone identified as the source of this extraordinary Martian meteorite sample provides an authentic glimpse into the primordial conditions prevalent on planetary bodies, including Earth, conditions that our planet has since lost due to the dynamic processes of plate tectonics and surface erosion.”
Distribution of the most likely crater sources for Martian meteorites: (a) global context of the 19 crater candidates and location of provinces and rovers (yellow triangles) referred to in the present study; (b, c) magnetic field intensity and remanent magnetization at the surface; (d, e) potassium and thorium concentration at the surface; beige area corresponds to discarded provinces due to the weathered basaltic surface contribution. Image credit: Lagain et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31444-8.
“This investigative work has established a precedent for pinpointing the ejection origins of additional Martian meteorites, thereby facilitating the construction of a comprehensive depiction of the Red Planet’s geological chronicle,” remarked Professor Gretchen Benedix, a senior researcher at the Space Science and Technology Centre at Curtin University and affiliated with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Western Australian Museum.
“Furthermore, we are in the process of adapting the computational algorithm that was instrumental in locating ‘Black Beauty’s’ point of ejection from Mars, with the objective of uncovering further mysteries pertaining to the Moon and Mercury.”
“These advancements will be instrumental in deciphering their geological histories and addressing critical scientific questions that will inform future exploratory missions within our Solar System, such as the Artemis program, which aims to land humans on the Moon by the close of this decade, or the BepiColombo mission, scheduled to orbit Mercury starting in 2025.”
A scholarly article detailing these discoveries has been disseminated through the esteemed journal Nature Communications.
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A. Lagain et al. 2022. Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest Martian meteorite. Nat Commun 13, 3782; doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31444-8
