Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery inside a Martian meteorite.
The international team of scientists discovered grains of garnet, a mineral that had not previously been identified in a sample from Mars.
The meteorite identified as NWA 8171 is held in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum. By cracking the tiny fragment, measuring about 0.8 by 0.5 mm, they discovered an unexpected mineral inside.
Tania Kizovski, from Brock University, said: “This little section of the meteorite looked really interesting and the chemistry was a bit strange. »
“At first we assumed it was a mineral called pyroxene, which is very common, but then we decided to take a second look,” she added.
The second examination proved the mineral to be andradite, a type of iron-based garnet. Unlike the dark red color of Earth gemstones, this Martian variety has a greenish-yellow color.
Garnet on Earth forms when exposed to high temperatures, pressures or chemical changes that have not been observed on Mars until now. This discovery raises many questions about whether and how garnet formed there.
Garnets are excellent historians because they hold information about temperature, pressure, and other factors involved in their formation. This could tell us more about the history of the planet over 4.5 billion years.
