Rock of Ages – A Younger ALH84001

NAI scientists from the University of Wisconsin Team and their colleagues have shown that the true age of this famous meteorite is 4.091 billion years, about 400 million years younger than earlier age estimates. Their study shows that it formed during a time when Mars was wet and had a magnetic field, conditions that are favorable for the emergence and development of life. This finding precludes ALH84001 from being a remnant of primordial Martian crust, as well as confirming that volcanic activity was ongoing in Mars over much of its history. Their paper appears in the April 16, 2010 issue of Science.

[Source: NAI Newsletter]