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Astronomers have confirmed that an analysis of a meteorite found in the African Sahara revealed the presence of water on the surface of Mars 4.4 billion years ago.
According to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”, the researchers came to this conclusion after analyzing the mineral composition of the meteorite from Mars, known in the scientific community as NWA 7533, since its discovery in 2012.
Analysis revealed traces of the oxidation process which may have occurred in conjunction with the formation of water.
The meteor, which weighs 84 grams, fell in the northwest of the African continent, after a celestial boulder shattered while entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Astronomers knew water had been found on Mars, but their time estimate was that it probably existed 3.7 billion years ago. But the analysis of the new meteorite and the monitoring of its mineral composition made the researchers reconsider, because the water was present 700 thousand years before the date we recommended.
And if there was no water on Mars before this new date determined by scientists, it is possible that the liquid appeared as a result of the interactions that accompanied the formation of the planet.
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