Oldest known Mars rock is a ‘Rosetta stone’ for the Red Planet’s watery past

A meteorite found in the Sahara is a rare piece of Mars' ancient crust.

Scientists at the University of New Mexico have played a key role in identifying a rare, 4.1-billion-year-old Martian meteorite that provides new evidence that the red planet may have once had a wetter, Earth-like environment.

Blasted off Mars by a giant impact long ago, the meteorite Teghaza 001 eventually fell to Earth in the Sahara Desert. Now it’s revealing previously hidden chapters of Mars’ deep past