How Scientists Proved These Rocks Came From Mars

How Scientists Proved These Rocks Came From Mars

The first Martian meteorite was identified in 1983, and the analysis that traced the rocks back to their origin on Mars via an impact 700,000 years ago. What’s amazing is that while we needed rocks returned from the Moon to recognize lunar meteorites we didn’t have the luxury with Martian meteorites. The crucial clue wasn’t in the minerals, but noble gasses trapped within the rock when it was kicked into space, these gasses matched the isotopic ratios of the atmosphere sampled by Viking back in the 1970’s