Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite
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 eve...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170102972 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90161 |
| _version_ | 1848765341513023488 |
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| author | Lagain, Anthony Bouley, S. Zanda, B. Miljković, Katarina Rajšić, Andrea Baratoux, D. Payré, V. Doucet, Luc Timms, Nick Hewins, R. Benedix, Gretchen Malarewic, V. Servis, Konstantinos Bland, Phil |
| author_facet | Lagain, Anthony Bouley, S. Zanda, B. Miljković, Katarina Rajšić, Andrea Baratoux, D. Payré, V. Doucet, Luc Timms, Nick Hewins, R. Benedix, Gretchen Malarewic, V. Servis, Konstantinos Bland, Phil |
| author_sort | Lagain, Anthony |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:33:43Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-90161 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:33:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-901612023-02-15T07:10:10Z Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite Lagain, Anthony Bouley, S. Zanda, B. Miljković, Katarina Rajšić, Andrea Baratoux, D. Payré, V. Doucet, Luc Timms, Nick Hewins, R. Benedix, Gretchen Malarewic, V. Servis, Konstantinos Bland, Phil Earth, Planet Extraterrestrial Environment Geology Mars Meteoroids 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. 2022 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90161 10.1038/s41467-022-31444-8 eng http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170102972 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP210100336 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP180100661 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE180100584 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT210100063 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Earth, Planet Extraterrestrial Environment Geology Mars Meteoroids Lagain, Anthony Bouley, S. Zanda, B. Miljković, Katarina Rajšić, Andrea Baratoux, D. Payré, V. Doucet, Luc Timms, Nick Hewins, R. Benedix, Gretchen Malarewic, V. Servis, Konstantinos Bland, Phil Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite |
| title | Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite |
| title_full | Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite |
| title_fullStr | Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite |
| title_full_unstemmed | Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite |
| title_short | Early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite |
| title_sort | early crustal processes revealed by the ejection site of the oldest martian meteorite |
| topic | Earth, Planet Extraterrestrial Environment Geology Mars Meteoroids |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170102972 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170102972 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170102972 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170102972 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170102972 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90161 |