[meteorite-list] Researchers Identify Water Rich Meteorite Linked to Mars Crust (NWA 7034)

[Ron Baalke]

Jan. 03, 2013

Dwayne Brown 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1726 
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov 

Steve Carr 
University of New Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics, Albuquerque, N.M. 
505-277-1821 
scarr at unm.edu 

Tina McDowell 
Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington 
703-965-1340 
tmcdowell at carnegiescience.edu 


RELEASE: 13-001

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY WATER RICH METEORITE LINKED TO MARS CRUST

WASHINGTON -- NASA-funded researchers analyzing a small meteorite that 
may be the first discovered from the Martian surface or crust have 
found it contains 10 times more water than other Martian meteorites 
from unknown origins. 

This new class of meteorite was found in 2011 in the Sahara Desert. 
Designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, and nicknamed "Black Beauty," 
it weighs approximately 11 ounces (320 grams). After more than a year 
of intensive study, a team of U.S. scientists determined the 
meteorite formed 2.1 billion years ago during the beginning of the 
most recent geologic period on Mars, known as the Amazonian. 

"The age of NWA 7034 is important because it is significantly older 
than most other Martian meteorites," said Mitch Schulte, program 
scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in 
Washington. "We now have insight into a piece of Mars' history at a 
critical time in its evolution." 

The meteorite is an excellent match for surface rocks and outcrops 
NASA has studied remotely via Mars rovers and Mars-orbiting 
satellites. NWA 7034's composition is different from any previously 
studied Martian meteorite. The research is published in Thursday's 
edition of Science Express. 

"The contents of this meteorite may challenge many long held notions 
about Martian geology," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator 
for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "These findings 
also present an important reference frame for the Curiosity rover as 
it searches for reduced organics in the minerals exposed in the 
bedrock of Gale Crater." 

NWA 7034 is made of cemented fragments of basalt, rock that forms from 
rapidly cooled lava. The fragments are primarily feldspar and 
pyroxene, most likely from volcanic activity. This unusual 
meteorite's chemistry matches that of the Martian crust as measured 
by NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers and Mars Odyssey Orbiter. 

"This Martian meteorite has everything in its composition that you'd 
want in order to further our understanding of the Red Planet," said 
Carl Agee, leader of the analysis team and director and curator at 
the University of New Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics in 
Albuquerque. "This unique meteorite tells us what volcanism was like 
on Mars 2 billion years ago. It also gives us a glimpse of ancient 
surface and environmental conditions on Mars that no other meteorite 
has ever offered." 

The research team included groups at the University of California at 
San Diego and the Carnegie Institution in Washington. Experiments 
were conducted to analyze mineral and chemical composition, age, and 
water content. 

Researchers theorize the large amount of water contained in NWA 7034 
may have originated from interaction of the rocks with water present 
in Mars' crust. The meteorite also has a different mixture of oxygen 
isotopes than has been found in other Martian meteorites, which could 
have resulted from interaction with the Martian atmosphere. 

Most Martian meteorites are divided into three rock types, named after 
three meteorites; Shergotty, Nakhla, and Chassigny. These "SNC" 
meteorites currently number about 110. Their point of origin on Mars 
is not known and recent data from lander and orbiter missions suggest 
they are a mismatch for the Martian crust. Although NWA 7034 has 
similarities to the SNC meteorites, including the presence of 
macromolecular organic carbon, this new meteorite has many unique 
characteristics. 

"The texture of the NWA meteorite is not like any of the SNC 
meteorites," said co-author Andrew Steele, who led the carbon 
analysis at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory. "This 
is an exciting measurement in Mars and planetary science. We now have 
more context than ever before to understanding where they may come 
from." 

The research was funded by NASA's Cosmochemistry Program and 
Astrobiology Institute, part of the Planetary Science Division in the 
Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. The research also 
was supported by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium in Las Cruces, 
and the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va. 

To see an image of NWA 7034, visit: 

http://go.nasa.gov/UbAhop 
	
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