Scientists discovered when water existed on Mars, thanks to a meteorite (photos, videos).

Liquid water definitely existed on Mars. This is now confirmed not only by data from rovers but also by evidence that can be physically observed on Earth. Scientists studied a piece of rock that broke off from Mars 11 million years ago due to an asteroid impact. This is the Lafayette meteorite. It interacted with liquid water while it was still on Mars.

Researchers from Purdue University managed to determine the age of the minerals in the meteorite that formed during this interaction. These minerals formed 742 million years ago. Meanwhile, scientists believe that there wasn't much liquid water on the surface of Mars at present.

"We think that water was formed from the melting of subsurface ice, known as permafrost, and that the melting of permafrost was triggered by magmatic activity, which still occurs periodically on Mars to this day," noted Marissa Tremblay, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at Purdue University, who is the lead author of this publication.

The events following the piece breaking off from Mars did not affect the dating – scientists were able to prove this. Interestingly, this meteorite was found in a box at Purdue University in 1931. However, how it got there remains a mystery.

The main outcome of the study is not only the dating of this specific meteorite but also the identification of a reliable method for determining the age of mineral changes in meteorites. This method can be applied to other bodies to understand when there was liquid water present.

Previously, "Telegraph" reported that a "harbinger of catastrophe" washed ashore in the USA. This is a rare giant fish that usually inhabits deep waters.