Black Beauty: Moroccan meteorite and extraterrestrial dream

Almost fifteen years later, a black stone, apparently of Martian origin, discovered in the Sahara desert and sold to an American collector in Morocco in 2011 aroused the curiosity of scientists. The latter conducted a study on this rock, and the results are surprising.

This meteorite, called Northwest Africa 7034 (NWA 7034) or, more commonly, Black Beauty, according to Xataka’s explanations is distinguished by its constitution. It is made up of both very old minerals and younger minerals, which is unique among this type of meteorite. This rock contains zircon within it, a type of mineral of transparent color, white or reddish yellowish, whose age is estimated at around 4.45 billion years, that is to say at the first stages of the ‘Martian history.