Scans Reveal An Ancient Surprise Hiding In Martian Meteorite That Fell To Earth
Remember the famous meteorite NWA 7034, a.k.a Black Beauty found in Northwest Africa? Researchers using neutron scanning technology have discovered a hidden reservoir of ancient water locked inside the Martian rock and in higher concentration than expected.
The study, led by Estrid Buhl Naver and her team at the Technical University of Denmark, utilized a combination of neutron and X-ray computed tomography to peer within the meteorite without causing any damage. While X-rays are excellent at mapping dense minerals like iron, neutrons are uniquely sensitive to light elements, particularly hydrogen, which is one of the primary building blocks of water. By scanning a sample of NWA 7034, the team identified clusters of hydrogen-rich minerals known as iron oxyhydroxides that make up only about 0.4% of the rock's volume. However, these clasts were found to contain roughly 11% of the meteorite's total water content.
Black Beauty has long been a crown jewel for astronomers. Recovered from the Moroccan desert in 2011, the 320-gram stone is a Martian volcanic breccia of different rock fragments fused together some 4.5 billion years ago and ejected from the planet about 5-10 million years ago. While it was already known to be unusually "wet" compared to other Martian meteorites, containing about 6,000 parts per million of water, the new scans reveal exactly where that water is stored. These mineral signatures are nearly identical to the hydrated FeOOH recently detected by NASA's Perseverance rover at Jezero Crater. Because Black Beauty likely originated from the Terra Cimmeria-Terra Sirenum region, the similarity indicates that these water-bearing minerals were widespread across the ancient Martian crust.
This discovery provides compelling evidence for a so-called third reservoir of water on Mars, one that existed within the planet’s crust rather than just on its surface or in its atmosphere. It reaffirms the idea that early Mars was a world where liquid water frequently interacted with the rocky surface, creating a vast underground hydration network during the planet's first few hundred million years, a time when life might have been struggling to gain a foothold.
The success of this non-destructive scanning technique could be a vital tool for future Mars Sample Return mission samples.
Image credits: NASA
