Analysis of Mars meteorites. On the left, artistic impression of where an asteroid hit the surface of Mars 5-10 Ma ago, expelled Black Beauty and its transit to Earth (white line). On the right, the data set and methods used to identify the meteorite ejection site. Credit: Anthony Lagain, Curtin University
The new research led by Curtin has identified for the first time the exact home of the oldest and most famous Martian meteorite, offering critical geological clues about the oldest origins of Mars.
Using a multidisciplinary approach involving an machine learning algorithm, the new research, published today in Communications of nature-identified the particular crater on Mars that ejected the so-called Black Beauty meteorite, weighing 320 grams, and paired stones, which were first found in North Africa in 2011.
Researchers have named the specific Mars crater after the town of Pilbara de Karratha, located more than 1,500 km north of Perth in Western Australia, which is home to one of the oldest land rocks.
The lead author, Dr. Anthony Lagain, of the Curtin Center for Space Science and Technology at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the exciting discovery offered unprecedented details about the known Martian meteorite NWA 7034. as “Black Beauty,” which is widely studied around the world. Black Beauty is the only brecciated Martian sample available on Earth, meaning it contains angular fragments of multiple types of rocks cemented together, which is different from all other Martian meteorites that contain unique rock types.
The distribution of 90 million craters on the surface of Mars obtained from the crater detection algorithm. The colors indicate the size of the crater and its intensities are related to the density of the crater on the surface. Blue spots and ray patterns are associated with younger, larger craters formed on the surface. The red circle points to the Karratha crater that has ejected the Black Beauty meteorite. Credit: Lagain et al, Curtin University
“For the first time, we know the geological context of the only brecciated Martian sample available on Earth, 10 years before NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission sent samples collected by the Perseverance rover currently exploring Jezero Crater,” he said. Dr. said Lagain.
“Finding the region where the ‘Black Beauty’ meteorite originates is crucial because it contains the oldest Martian fragments ever found, at 4.48 billion years, and shows similarities between the very old crust of Mars, about 4.53 billion The region we identify as the source of this unique sample of a Martian meteorite is a real window into the oldest environment of the planets, including Earth, which our planet lost due to plate tectonics and erosion “.
The discovery was made using an algorithm that was developed internally in Curtin by an interdisciplinary group that included members of the Curtin Institute for Computation and the School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, as well as the CSIRO and the Australian Space Data Analysis. Facility. with funding from the Australian Research Council.
The distribution of 90 million craters on the surface of Mars obtained from the crater detection algorithm. The colors indicate the size of the crater and its intensities are related to the density of the crater on the surface. Blue spots and ray patterns are associated with younger, larger craters formed on the surface. The red circle points to the Karratha crater that has ejected the Black Beauty meteorite. Credit: Lagain et al. 2022, Communications of nature.
Using one of the fastest supercomputers in the southern hemisphere at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Center and the Curtin HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualization and eResearch), the researchers analyzed a very large volume of high-resolution planetary images using an algorithm of machine learning to detect impact. craters.
The co-author, Professor Gretchen Benedix, also of the Curtin Center for Space Science and Technology at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said this research paved the way for locating the ejection site of other meteorites. Martians, in order to create the most comprehensive view of the geological history of the Red Planet.
The meteorite of Black Beauty. Credit: NASA
“We are also adapting the algorithm that was used to identify the Black Beauty expulsion point from Mars to unlock other secrets of the Moon and Mercury,” Professor Benedix said.
“This will help unravel its geological history and answer hot questions that will help future research into the Solar System, such as the Artemis program to send humans to the Moon by the end of the decade or the BepiColombo mission, orbiting Mercury on 2025. “
Karratha crater on Mars. Karratha crater is located in the center, inside Dampier crater. Credit: NASA MRO
The research also featured experts from the University of Paris-Saclay, the Paris Observatory, the National Museum of Natural History, the French National Center for Scientific Research, the Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Côte d’Ivoire. and the University of Northern Arizona and Rutgers University in the United States. of America.
The full paper, “The First Bark Processes Revealed by the Ejection Site of the Oldest Martian Meteorite,” is published in Communications of nature.
The study identifies the likely home of Martian meteorites. More information: Anthony Lagain, The first processes of the crust revealed by the ejection site of the oldest Martian meteorite, Communications of nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038 / s41467-022-31444-8. www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31444-8 Provided by Curtin University
Citation: machine learning identifies the crater that ejected the famous Martian rock (2022, July 12) recovered on July 12, 2022 from
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