Martian Meteorite ‘Black Beauty’ Reveals Hidden Water with New Scanning Tech

New, non-destructive scanning technologies are providing unprecedented insight into Martian meteorites, revealing hidden details about the Red Planet’s ancient past. Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark have recently applied these techniques to “Black Beauty” (NWA 7034), a meteorite discovered in Morocco in 2011, uncovering evidence of water-bearing minerals within its structure.

Black Beauty, so named for its distinctive color and reflective edges, is composed of material approximately 4.48 billion years old, making it one of the oldest known Martian samples. Isotopic analysis has confirmed its origin on Mars, with evidence suggesting it was ejected from the planet’s surface between 5 and 10 million years ago.

Previously, studying the meteorite required physically cutting and dissolving portions of the sample to analyze its composition. This destructive process limited the amount of information that could be gleaned. However, the advent of computed tomography (CT) scanning now allows scientists to examine Black Beauty non-destructively.

Two primary CT scanning methods were employed: X-ray CT and neutron CT. X-ray CT excels at detecting dense materials like iron and titanium, while neutron CT is particularly effective at penetrating denser materials and, crucially, detecting hydrogen – a key component of water. The research, published as a pre-print on arXiv, details the application of both techniques to a polished sample of Black Beauty.

The scans revealed the presence of “clasts” – small rock fragments embedded within the larger meteorite structure. While the existence of clasts was already known, the specific types identified through the CT scans were novel. These newly identified clasts are categorized as “Hydrogen-rich Iron oxyhydroxide” (H-Fe-ox). These hydrogen-rich clusters comprise approximately 0.4% of the sample’s volume, which equates to roughly 11% of the sample’s total water content.

Black Beauty is estimated to contain around 6,000 parts-per-million (ppm) of water, a remarkably high concentration for a planet currently considered arid. This discovery complements findings from NASA’s Perseverance rover at Jezero crater, which has also identified watery samples. The fact that water-bearing materials are present in Black Beauty, originating from a different region of Mars than the Perseverance samples, suggests that liquid water was likely widespread across the planet’s surface billions of years ago.

The non-destructive nature of these scanning techniques holds significant promise for future sample analysis. Scientists had hoped to apply these methods to samples returned by the Mars Sample Return mission, as the CT scans can penetrate the titanium housing used to contain the samples. However, with the recent cancellation of that program, access to pristine Martian samples for such detailed analysis may be delayed considerably.

Despite this setback, researchers plan to continue utilizing these advanced scanning techniques on other Martian meteorites. Black Beauty itself serves as a valuable “sample return mission in a single rock,” offering a unique opportunity to study the ancient Martian environment. The ongoing analysis of these meteorites promises to further illuminate the history of water on Mars and its potential for past habitability.