Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Solving the Martian meteorite age conundrum using micro-baddeleyite and launch-generated zircon

Nature volume 499, pages 454–457 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Invaluable records of planetary dynamics and evolution can be recovered from the geochemical systematics of single meteorites1. However, the interpreted ages of the ejected igneous crust of Mars differ by up to four billion years1,2,3,4,5,6, a conundrum7 due in part to the difficulty of using geochemistry alone to distinguish between the ages of formation and the ages of the impact events that launched debris towards Earth. Here we solve the conundrum by combining in situ electron-beam nanostructural analyses and U–Pb (uranium–lead) isotopic measurements of the resistant micromineral baddeleyite (ZrO2) and host igneous minerals in the highly shock-metamorphosed shergottite Northwest Africa 5298 (ref. 8), which is a basaltic Martian meteorite. We establish that the micro-baddeleyite grains pre-date the launch event because they are shocked, cogenetic with host igneous minerals, and preserve primary igneous growth zoning. The grains least affected by shock disturbance, and which are rich in radiogenic Pb, date the basalt crystallization near the Martian surface to 187 ± 33 million years before present. Primitive, non-radiogenic Pb isotope compositions of the host minerals, common to most shergottites1,2,3,4, do not help us to date the meteorite, instead indicating a magma source region that was fractionated more than four billion years ago9,10,11,12 to form a persistent reservoir so far unique to Mars1,9. Local impact melting during ejection from Mars less than 22 ± 2 million years ago caused the growth of unshocked, launch-generated zircon and the partial disturbance of baddeleyite dates. We can thus confirm the presence of ancient, non-convecting mantle beneath young volcanic Mars, place an upper bound on the interplanetary travel time of the ejected Martian crust, and validate a new approach to the geochronology of the inner Solar System.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Nanostructural data for Martian baddeleyite grains showing igneous growth zoning, shock state and launch-generated reaction rim of unshocked zircon.
Figure 2: U–Pb and Pb–Pb (inset) plots of isotopic data (2σ confidence level) for baddeleyite and neighbouring igneous minerals indicating a young crystallization age, variable age disturbance by shock, and inherited primitive Martian Pb.
Figure 3: Three-stage evolution of Martian crust recorded by basaltic shergottite NWA 5298, based on geochemical and nanostructural observations.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chen, J. H. & Wasserburg, G. J. Formation ages and evolution of Shergotty and its parent planet from U-Th-Pb systematics. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 50, 955–968 (1986)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Nyquist, L. E. et al. Ages and geologic histories of martian meteorites. Space Sci. Rev. 96, 105–164 (2001)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Borg, L. & Drake, M. J. A review of meteorite evidence for the timing of magmatism and of surface or near-surface liquid water on Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 110, E12S03 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bouvier, A., Blichert-Toft, J., Vervoort, J. D., Gillet, P. & Albarède, F. The case for old basaltic shergottites. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 266, 105–124 (2008)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Herd, C. D. K., Simonetti, A. & Peterson, N. D. In situ U-Pb geochronology of martian baddeleyite by laser ablation MC-ICP-MS. Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf. XXXVIII, abstr. 1664 (2007)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Niihara, T. Uranium-lead age of baddeleyite in shergottite Roberts Massif 04261: implications for magmatic activity on Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 116, E12008 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. El Goresy, A. et al. Shock-induced deformation of Shergottites: shock-pressures and perturbations of magmatic ages on Mars. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 101, 233–262 (2013)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hui, H. et al. Petrogenesis of basaltic shergottite Northwest Africa 5298: closed-system crystallization of an oxidized mafic melt. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 46, 1313–1328 (2011)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Jagoutz, E. Chronology of SNC meteorites. Space Sci. Rev. 56, 13–22 (1991)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Brandon, A. D., Walker, R. J., Morgan, J. W. & Goles, G. G. Re-Os isotopic evidence for early differentiation of the martian mantle. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 64, 4083–4095 (2000)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Foley, C. N. et al. The early differentiation history of Mars from 182W–142Nd isotope systematics in the SNC meteorites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 69, 4557–4571 (2005)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lapen, T. J. et al. A younger age for ALH84001 and its geochemical link to shergottite sources in Mars. Science 328, 347–351 (2010)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Niihara, T., Kaiden, H., Misawa, K., Sekine, T. & Mikouchi, T. U–Pb isotopic systematics of shock-loaded and annealed baddeleyite: implications for crystallization ages of Martian meteorite shergottites. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 341–344, 195–210 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Krogh, T. E., Kamo, S. L. & Bohor, B. F. Shock metamorphosed zircons with correlated U-Pb discordance and melt rocks with concordant protolith ages indicate an impact origin for the Sudbury Structure. Geophys. Monogr. 95, 343–353 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Moser, D. E. et al. New zircon shock phenomena and their use for dating and reconstruction of large impact structures revealed by electron nanobeam (EBSD, CL, EDS) and isotopic U-Pb and (U-Th)/He analysis of the Vredefort dome. Can. J. Earth Sci. 48, 117–139 (2011)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Chamberlain, K. R. et al. In situ U–Pb SIMS (IN-SIMS) micro-baddeleyite dating of mafic rocks: method with examples. Precambr. Res. 183, 379–387 (2010)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Schmitt, A. K., Chamberlain, K. R., Swapp, S. M. & Harrison, T. M. In situ U–Pb dating of micro-baddeleyite by secondary ion mass spectrometry. Chem. Geol. 269, 386–395 (2010)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Nemchin, A. et al. Timing of crystallization of the lunar magma ocean constrained by the oldest zircon. Nature Geosci. 2, 133–136 (2009)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sano, Y., Terada, K., Takeno, S., Taylor, L. A. & McSween, H. Y. Ion microprobe uranium-thorium-lead dating of Shergotty phosphates. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 35, 341–346 (2000)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Gaffney, A. M., Borg, L. E. & Connelly, J. N. Uranium–lead isotope systematics of Mars inferred from the basaltic shergottite QUE 94201. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 71, 5016–5031 (2007)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Borg, L. E., Edmunson, J. E. & Asmerom, Y. Constraints on the U-Pb isotopic systematics of Mars inferred from a combined U-Pb, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd isotopic study of the Martian meteorite Zagami. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 69, 5819–5830 (2005)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Nimmo, F., Hart, S. D., Korycansky, D. G. & Agnor, C. B. Implications of an impact origin for the martian hemispheric dichotomy. Nature 453, 1220–1223 (2008)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Debaille, V., Brandon, A. D., Yin, Q. Z. & Jacobsen, B. Coupled 142Nd-143Nd evidence for a protracted magma ocean on Mars. Nature 450, 525–528 (2007)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Brandon, A. D. et al. Evolution of the martian mantle inferred from the 187Re–187Os isotope and highly siderophile element abundance systematics of shergottite meteorites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 76, 206–235 (2012)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Neukum, G. et al. The geologic evolution of Mars: episodicity of resurfacing events and ages from cratering analysis of image data and correlation with radiometric ages of Martian meteorites. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 294, 204–222 (2010)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Johnson, C. L. & Phillips, R. J. Evolution of the Tharsis region of Mars: insights from magnetic field observations. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 230, 241–254 (2005)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Tornabene, L. L. et al. Identification of large (2–10 km) rayed craters on Mars in THEMIS thermal infrared images: implications for possible Martian meteorite source regions. J. Geophys. Res. 111, E10006 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Bogard, D. D. & Johnson, P. Martian gases in an Antarctic meteorite? Science 221, 651–654 (1983)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Head, J. N., Melosh, H. J. & Ivanov, B. A. Martian meteorite launch: high-speed ejecta from small craters. Science 298, 1752–1756 (2002)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Heaman, L. M. The application of U–Pb geochronology to mafic, ultramafic and alkaline rocks: an evaluation of three mineral standards. Chem. Geol. 261, 43–52 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the generosity of NWA 5298 donor D. Gregory. This project was supported by NSERC Discovery Grants to D.E.M. and K.T.T., a Wyoming NASA Space grant to K.R.C., an NSF EAR/IF grant to the UCLA SIMS laboratory, and postdoctoral funding to J.R.D. from the Government of Canada and the University of Western Ontario’s Center for Planetary Science and Exploration. We thank S. Swapp and N. Swoboda-Colberg for assistance locating and imaging SIMS targets, and I. Craig (University of Western Ontario) for graphics art support. We also thank L. Nyquist and A. Brandon for reviews of the manuscript.

Author information

Author notes

  1. J. R. Darling

    Present address: Present address: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3QL, UK.,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada,

    D. E. Moser, J. R. Darling & I. R. Barker

  2. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA,

    K. R. Chamberlain

  3. Department of Natural History, Mineralogy, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6, Canada,

    K. T. Tait & B. C. Hyde

  4. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, UCLA, 595 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA,

    A. K. Schmitt

Authors
  1. D. E. Moser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. R. Chamberlain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K. T. Tait
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. K. Schmitt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. J. R. Darling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. I. R. Barker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. B. C. Hyde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to this work. D.E.M., K.R.C. and K.T.T. designed the initial project. All authors conducted portions of either, or both, the fundamental field emission gun–scanning electron microscopy and SIMS data collection. A.K.S., K.R.C., D.E.M. and J.R.D. reduced the isotope data. D.E.M., I.R.B. and J.R.D. reduced the field emission gun–scanning electron microscopy data. D.E.M. wrote the main paper, and all authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript at all stages.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. E. Moser.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Figures 1-3 and Supplementary Tables 1-3. The Supplementary Figures collectively show the mineral textures surrounding a representative igneous martian microbaddeleyite from meteorite NWA 5298 (SF1, SF3), and an example of similar igneous CL zoning in a terrestrial baddeleyite crystal (Fig. SF2). The Supplementary Tables contain a) the settings used for EBSD analysis (Table S1) and b) the SIMS isotopic measurements of U and Pb in micro-baddeleyite (Table S2) and Pb in host phases (Table S3) in meteorite NWA 5298. (PDF 985 kb)

PowerPoint slides

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Moser, D., Chamberlain, K., Tait, K. et al. Solving the Martian meteorite age conundrum using micro-baddeleyite and launch-generated zircon. Nature 499, 454–457 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12341

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12341

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing