4.4 bn years old Black Beauty Meteorite discovered in Morocco could be from Mars

A stunning ‘Black Beauty’ meteorite discovered in the desert of Morocco has got researchers believing it could be a piece of Mars crust. Initial investigations carried out by researchers concluded that the meteorite matches the orbital measurements of the Martian dark plains where Mar’s coating of red dust is known to be thin, with rocks underneath exposed.

Researchers from the Brown University carried out a carbon dating test on the meteorite consequently concluding it must be 4.4 billion years old and one of the rarest to ever land on the earth surface. The discovery is set to shed more light on the characteristics of Mars surface. The Meteorite has been dubbed ‘Black Beauty’ on the fact that it is not red as previously discovered meteors, but rather dark.

Black Beauty is unique compared to other meteorites ever landed on the surface of the earth as it is a conglomeration of different types of rocks. Earlier discovered meteors were found to be made of ingenious rocks made of cooled volcanic material. Sedimentary components found in Black Beauty according to researcher’s matches rocks analyzed on Mars by NASA.

Before Black Beauty came into the picture, most of the Martian rocks discovered on the earth surface were classified as SNC meteorites. Mars is believed to be punctured by over 40,000 impact craters that could be greater than 1Km in diameter. Because of brecciation, the bulk of rocks on the surface of Mars could look a lot like Black Beauty.

Researchers are already stating that the spectral found in Black Beauty helps put a clear picture of the dark planes found on Mars. The finding essentially suggests that Mars is dominated by brecciated rocks similar to those seen in Black Beauty. Recent research findings have already concluded that the dark planes in Mars are a clear representation of what hides beneath the red dust in much of the rest of the planet.