The study identified when water interacted with the meteorite and established that the dating was unaffected by events after it left Mars.

Scientists studying the Lafayette Meteorite, believed to have originated from Mars, have confirmed that it contains minerals formed through interaction with liquid water on the Martian surface.

A sliver of Martian rock that once lay hidden in a university drawer has helped researchers better understand the Red Planet’s geological history. Using isotopic dating, a team at Purdue University has determined that the “Lafayette Meteorite” likely interacted with liquid water approximately 742 million years ago.