Nakhlite meteorites tell the story of liquid water on Mars

Egyptian meteorites tell the story of water on Mars: Two meteorites that hit Egypt in 1911 hold crucial information about life on Mars. A recently published study by Glasgow University describes how planetary scientists used a specialized technique to examine the meteorites (known as nakhlites, because they fell in El Nakhla). The technique provides new evidence that liquid water was formed by an asteroid hitting Mars some 633 mn years ago, with the impact of the collision melting ice under the planet’s surface. Some time later — a mere 11 mn years ago — a second impact appears to have caused the rocks to blast off and begin their long journey to Earth where they landed in Egypt.