Minerals in Lafayette Meteorite Were Exposed to Martian Liquid Water 742 Million Years Ago: Study

Minerals in Lafayette Meteorite Were Exposed to Martian Liquid Water 742 Million Years Ago: Study

An asteroid struck Mars 11 million years ago and sent pieces of the planet hurtling through space; one of these chunks eventually crashed into the Earth. During early investigations of this object, named Lafayette meteorite, scientists discovered that it had interacted with liquid water while on Mars. Now, researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom have determined the age of the minerals in the meteorite that formed when there was liquid water.

The Lafayette meteorite was chipped off the surface of Mars and then sped through space for roughly 11 million years. It eventually found its way into a drawer at Purdue University in 1931 and has since been teaching scientists about Mars. Image credit: Purdue Brand Studio.

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