That timing matters because it places the meteorite among the oldest pieces of Mars found on Earth.
Transcript
Vocabulary in this episode
- chronicle
I’m Nora, and this is Science and the Planet, a chronicle about discoveries that help us understand our world.
A chronicle is a written or spoken account of events over time.
- meteorite
A meteorite found in the Sahara has given researchers a rare look at the early history of Mars.
A meteorite is a piece of rock from space that has fallen to Earth.
- meteorite
NASA says the meteorite was named Teghaza 001 after a salt plain in Mali.
Here, it means the space rock that fell to Earth.
- meteorite
That timing matters because it places the meteorite among the oldest pieces of Mars found on Earth.
Here, it means the Martian rock found on Earth.
- meteorite
Zircon crystals in the meteorite record clues to how the rock formed.
Here, it means the meteorite found on Earth.
- age-dating
NASA reports that age-dating of its minerals shows Martian water changed the rock around 4.1 billion years ago.
Age-dating means finding out how old something is.
- crust
Its mix of volcanic minerals also gives researchers clues about how Mars’s crust formed as magma cooled, and how water later changed the rock.
The crust is the hard outer layer of Mars.
- crust
The study offers a new sample of ancient Martian crust.
Here, it means the old outer layer of Mars.
- magma
Its mix of volcanic minerals also gives researchers clues about how Mars’s crust formed as magma cooled, and how water later changed the rock.
Magma is hot, melted rock beneath a planet’s surface.
- mineral grains
Researchers dated the rock by analyzing single mineral grains on its surface.
These are tiny pieces of minerals in the rock.
- preserving
They used a piece smaller than a fingernail, preserving more of the rare rock for future research.
Here, it means keeping more of the rare rock available for later study.
- points to
The research points to several possible locations, and its minerals match features seen by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in the planet’s southern highlands.
Here, it means the research suggests several places as possible sources.
- highlands
The research points to several possible locations, and its minerals match features seen by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in the planet’s southern highlands.
Highlands are areas of land that are higher than the surrounding areas.