Rock Is New Class of Mars Meteorite

Rock Is New Class of Mars Meteorite

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

A dark lump of rock found in the Moroccan desert in 2011 is a new type of Martian meteorite, say scientists. Weighing 320g, the stone has been given the name Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034. Its texture and chemistry set it apart from all previous objects picked up off the surface of Earth but known to originate on the Red Planet. The researchers’ analysis, reported online by Science magazine, shows the meteorite to be just over two billion years old.