Teghaza 001 : Meteorite
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.
- Teghaza 001 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 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.
- Meteoroids are bits of solid material of different sizes orbiting the Sun.
- Meteors form when meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs, or “shooting stars.”
