Due to the subsequent tectonic movement, it is impossible to know the geological history of the Earth's formation, but the evolution of the surface of the Earth may make it possible. Meteorites, which arrive on Earth's surface in the form of pieces from other planets, can be used to obtain clues about this process.

There may have been a crust on Mars more than 4.5 billion years ago that was similar to Earth's early crust, and information about this crust may be found in the oldest meteorite ever found.

A meteorite named Black Beauty, which dates back 4.48 billion years, had to be identified first. Using the methods outlined in Nature Communications, the international team was able to determine that this piece of Martian rock originated from one of the oldest areas of Mars' surface.

“Mars and all terrestrial planets, including Earth, were defined by the first stage of evolution in this meteorite,” said Valerie Payré, Northern Arizona University's postdoctoral fellow. “As the Earth lost its old surface mainly due to plate tectonics, observing such settings in extremely ancient terrains on Mars is a rare window into the ancient Earth surface that we lost a long time ago.”

As the meteorite was found in NWA (Northwest Africa), NWA 7034 contains igneous, sedimentary, and impact melt clasts, including the earliest and most evolved igneous clasts and zircons, which were roughly formed at 4.44–4.48 Ga.There are no clues as to the source region of this unique meteorite on Mars, even though scientists know its chemical composition.

According to previous research, only 18 crater sites were found where asteroid strikes could have hurled NWA 7034 off the Martian surface far enough to reach space and begin its journey to the surface of Earth using a crater-detection algorithm and high-resolution images of the surface of Mars. 

Using geochemistry, geophysics, and geochronology, Anthony Lagain of Curtin University in Australia determined which crater might be related to this ancient meteorite's origin. In addition to the meteorite's magnetic field intensity, potassium and thorium concentrations, and dates, only one candidate was found - the Karratha crater.

It was also concluded that when the asteroid formed this crater, other debris, including NWA 7034, was thrown off the surface due to a much earlier collision that had created a crater known as Khujirt, which had been formed much earlier. 

A highland region covering 10 percent of the planet, Terra Cimmeria-Sirenum, is home to both these craters, which are rich in potassium and thorium and have a powerful magnetic field. Due to its ancient appearance, the Black Beauty is considered to be part of Mars' early geological history, since it is considered a block of ancient crust. 

“In 10 years, NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is set to return samples collected by the Perseverance rover in the Jezero crater, Lagain, a Curtin research fellow, will provide the first geological context for the only brecciated Martian sample available on Earth. 

The research carried out by this group paved the way for the identification of other Martian meteorites' ejection sites, to make a comprehensive analysis of the planet's geological history that is as thorough as possible.To determine if Earth and Mars shared a common past, Payré studies how the crust formed on Mars.

“The complex crust of Mars is still poorly understood today, and knowing what the source of these ancient fragments was could lead future missions to the Terra Sirenum-Cimmeria region, which holds the truth about Mars' and perhaps Earth's evolution,” Payré explained. 

“A major objective of this research is to locate the ejection sites of other Mars meteorites that will provide the most comprehensive account of Mars' geological history and help answer one of the most intriguing questions: why did Mars, now dry and cold, evolve so differently from Earth, which thrived with life..”