A Review of the “Black Beauty” Martian Regolith Breccia and Its Martian Habitability Record

GOODWIN, A.; Garwood, Russell J.; Tartèse, Romain

doi:10.1089/ast.2021.0069

Cited by 8 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…The simulation indicates that the ejecta fragment experienced a temperature up to 1000 °C where Karratha is located (Supplementary Figs. 6 and 7), compatible with the temperature required to reset the U-Pb in apatites, the Ar-Ar in augites and to disturb the metamict zircons in the breccia 3,5,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15] (500-800 °C, see Methods). With the exception of a shock twin observed in a zircon contained in NWA 7034 38 , the paucity of shock deformation above 10 GPa observed in the breccia 39 is also consistent with an origin as poorly consolidated ejecta material for the regolith breccia.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…1), before being lithified 12 and ejected ~5 Ma ago 12,13 (Methods). Hence, this regolith breccia provides evidence for the formation of evolved crustal material 4.48 Ga ago on Mars [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]14,15 , and contains clues to the early environment and evolution of Mars.…”

mentioning

confidence: 79%

“…They are the most diverse martian meteorites in terms of composition, containing a variety of igneous, sedimentary, and impact melt clasts, including the most evolved and oldest igneous clasts and zircons (4. 44-4.48 Ga old [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] , grey bars in Fig. 1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The abundance of trace elements reported in the old zircon population 5 indicates a variability of U/ Yb ratios, which suggest different types of source rocks and processes for the genesis of these magmas. These old evolved clasts have most likely been excavated by an impact event during the Early Amazonian period, ~1.5 Ga ago 3,5,8,[11][12][13] (green bars in Fig. 1), before being lithified 12 and ejected ~5 Ma ago 12,13 (Methods).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the source region of this unique meteorite and its geological context have so far remained unknown, and with it, a region where the earliest geological records of the planet 2,3 are exposed on the surface. Knowing this source region would provide insights into early Mars geological history and crustal extraction 2,3 . This source region may therefore become a highpriority target for detailed orbital analyses and in-situ exploration 16 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite

et al. 2022

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The formation and differentiation of the crust of Mars in the first tens of millions of years after its accretion can only be deciphered from incredibly limited records. The martian breccia NWA 7034 and its paired stones is one of them. This meteorite contains the oldest martian igneous material ever dated: ~4.5 Ga old. However, its source and geological context have so far remained unknown. Here, we show that the meteorite was ejected 5–10 Ma ago from the north-east of the Terra Cimmeria—Sirenum province, in the southern hemisphere of Mars. More specifically, the breccia belongs to the ejecta deposits of the Khujirt crater formed 1.5 Ga ago, and it was ejected as a result of the formation of the Karratha crater 5–10 Ma ago. Our findings demonstrate that the Terra Cimmeria—Sirenum province is a relic of the differentiated primordial martian crust, formed shortly after the accretion of the planet, and that it constitutes a unique record of early crustal processes. This province is an ideal landing site for future missions aiming to unravel the first tens of millions of years of the history of Mars and, by extension, of all terrestrial planets, including the Earth.

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