Latest news with #NorthwestAfrica
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
When did our solar system's planets form? Discovery of tiny meteorite may challenge the timeline
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A tiny meteorite is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about the origins of our solar system. New evidence found in shavings from a meteorite known as Northwest Africa 12264 — a 50-gram (1.8 ounces) piece of space rock that is believed to have formed in the outer solar system — suggests that rocky planets like Earth and distant icy bodies may have formed at the same time. This challenges the long-standing belief that planets closer to the sun formed before those in the outer solar system, the ones that lie beyond the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Planets form within the rotating disks of gas and dust that surround young stars, where particles collide and stick together through a process known as accretion. As developing rocky planets heat up, they begin to differentiate, forming separate internal layers known as the core, mantle and crust. Scientists have thought that our solar system's inner rocky planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars —formed first (around 4.566 billion years ago), while gas giants and icy bodies in the outer solar system came together slightly later (4.563 billion years ago), due to the colder temperatures at a greater distance from the sun. Rocky planets farther out were also thought to form more slowly because their higher water and ice content would have delayed internal heating and core development. Analyzing the composition of the meteorite (which was purchased from a dealer in Morocco in 2018) revealed a ratio of chromium and oxygen that indicates it came from the outer part of the solar system. Using precise isotopic dating methods, the researchers found that the rock formed 4.564 billion years ago — just two to three million years after the solar system's earliest solid materials. Until now, such early formation was thought to be limited to bodies from the inner solar system, according to a statement announcing the new study. RELATED STORIES — How did the solar system form? — Solar system guide: Discover the order of planets and other amazing facts — What are meteorites? Evidence that rocky planets beyond Jupiter formed as rapidly, and at the same time, as the inner planets could transform our understanding of how planets take shape — not only in our solar system, but in planetary systems throughout the universe, the researchers said. Their findings were published on July 4 in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
2 billion-year-old moon rock found in Africa reveals secret lunar history
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A meteorite that fell from the moon and was found in Africa is a rare volcanic rock dating from a time period in lunar history that scientists know little about. The 311-gram space rock was discovered in 2023 and is known as the Northwest Africa 16286 meteorite — and based on the decay of the lead isotopes that it contains, its formation has been dated to about 2.35 billion years ago. "Its age and composition show that volcanic activity continued on the moon throughout this timespan, and our analysis suggests an ongoing heat-generation process within the moon, potentially from radiogenic elements decaying and producing heat over a long period," said lead researcher Joshua Snape of the University of Manchester in a statement. The meteorite is an important piece in the jigsaw that is the moon's history, filling-in an almost billion-year-long gap in our knowledge. The meteorite is much younger than samples brought back to Earth by NASA's Apollo missions, the Soviet Union's Luna missions and China's Chang'e 6 mission, all of which range between 3.1 billion and 4.3 billion years old, but older than the 1.9-billion-year-old rocks returned by Chang'e 5. Crucially, meteorite 16286 has a volcanic origin, with geochemical analysis showing that it formed when a lava flow from deep within the moon vented onto the surface and solidified. It contains relatively large crystals of a mineral called olivine, moderate levels of titanium and high levels of potassium. Its lead isotopes also point to a volcanic source deep underground that has an unusually high uranium-to-lead ratio (the lead being a decay product of uranium). This abundance of uranium, and the heat it produced as it underwent radioactive decay, is a potential clue as to what was keeping volcanism going a billion years after the moon's main bouts of volcanism had ceased. There are only 31 volcanic lunar rocks that have been found on Earth in the form of meteorites, and meteorite 16286 is by far the youngest. "Moon rocks are rare, so it's interesting when we get something that stands out and looks different to everything else," said Snape. The meteorite is more evidence that volcanism continued throughout this period on the moon; Chang'e 5 has found such evidence in its samples from the moon's farside of volcanism in the past 123 million years. Together, these discoveries are transforming what we thought we thought we knew about the moon's volcanism and how the moon has remained geologically active, at least in bursts, almost to the present day. RELATED STORIES — Why is the moon's far side so weird? China's lunar sample-return mission may have figured it out — Volcanoes shaped the moon from the inside out, scientists find: 'Our team was genuinely puzzled' — NASA robot digs up simulated moon rocks | Space photo of the day for June 13, 2025 The next step is to pinpoint the meteorite's origin on the moon: likely a crater blasted into the surface by an impact that ejected the meteorite long ago. Once identified, it will be a prime location for a future sample-return mission to learn more about lunar volcanism during this little-known period, from which so few samples exist. Snape presented the findings at the world's premier geochemistry meeting, the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague held between July 6 and July 11. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mercury's 'missing' meteorites may have finally been found on Earth
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Most meteorites that have reached Earth come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But we have 1,000 or so meteorites that come from the Moon and Mars. This is probably a result of asteroids hitting their surfaces and ejecting material towards our planet. It should also be physically possible for such debris to reach the Earth from Mercury, another nearby rocky body. But so far, none have been confirmed to come from there — presenting a longstanding mystery. A new study my colleagues and I conducted has discovered two meteorites that could have a Mercurian origin. If confirmed, they would offer a rare window into Mercury's formation and evolution, potentially reshaping our understanding of the planet nearest the Sun. Because Mercury is so close to the Sun, any space mission to retrieve a sample from there would be complex and costly. A naturally delivered fragment, therefore, may be the only practical way to study its surface directly — making such a discovery scientifically invaluable. Observations from NASA's Messenger mission have inferred the surface composition of Mercury. This suggests the presence of minerals known as such as sodium-rich plagioclase (such as albite), iron-poor pyroxene (for example enstatite), iron-poor olivine (such as forsterite) and sulfide minerals such as oldhamite. The meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7325 was initially proposed as a possible fragment of Mercury. However, its mineralogy includes chromium-rich pyroxene containing approximately 1% iron. This poorly matches Mercury's estimated surface composition. As a result of this, and other factors, this link has been challenged. Related: Mercury may have a 'potentially habitable' region below its surface, salty glaciers suggest Aubrite meteorites have also been proposed as potential Mercurian fragments. Recent modeling of their formation suggests an origin from a large planetary body approximately 5,000km in diameter (similar to Mercury), potentially supporting this hypothesis. Although aubrites do not exhibit chemical or spectral (the study of how light is broken up by wavelength) similarities with Mercury's surface, it has been hypothesized that they may derive from the planet's shallow mantle (the layer beneath the surface). Despite ongoing research, the existence of a definitive meteorite from Mercury remains unproven. Our latest study investigated the properties of two unusual meteorites, Ksar Ghilane 022 and Northwest Africa 15915. We found that the two samples appear to be related, probably originating from the same parent body. Their mineralogy and surface composition also exhibit intriguing similarities to Mercury's crust. So this has prompted us to speculate about a possible Mercurian origin. Both meteorites contain olivine and pyroxene, minor albitic plagioclase and oldhamite. Such features are consistent with predictions for Mercury's surface composition. Additionally, their oxygen compositions match those of aubrites. These shared characteristics make the samples compelling candidates for being Mercurian material. However, notable differences exist. Both meteorites contain only trace amounts of plagioclase, in contrast to Mercury's surface, which is estimated to contain over 37%. Furthermore, our study suggests that the age of the samples is about 4,528 million years old. This is significantly older than Mercury's oldest recognised surface units, which are predicted (based on crater counting) to be approximately 4,000 million years. If these meteorites do originate from Mercury, they may represent early material that is no longer preserved in the planet's current surface geology. To link any meteorite to a specific asteroid type, moon or planet is extremely challenging. For example, laboratory analysis of Apollo samples allowed meteorites found in desert collection expeditions to be matched with the lunar materials. Martian meteorites have been identified through similarities between the composition of gases trapped in the meteorites with measurements of the martian atmosphere by spacecraft. Until we visit Mercury and bring back material, it will be extremely difficult to assess a meteorite-planet link. The BepiColombo space mission, by the European and Japanese space agencies, is now in orbit around Mercury and is about to send back high-resolution data. This may help us determine the ultimate origin body for Ksar Ghilane 022 and Northwest Africa 15915. If meteorites from Mercury were discovered, they could help resolve a variety of long-standing scientific questions. For example, they could reveal the age and evolution of Mercury's crust, its mineralogical and geochemical composition and the nature of its gases. RELATED STORIES —Mercury is weird because of a 'hit-and-run' incident in its youth —See Mercury's frigid north pole in extraordinary new images from the BepiColombo spacecraft —9-mile-thick layer of solid diamonds may lurk beneath Mercury's surface, study hints The origin of these samples is likely to remain a subject of continuing debate within the scientific community. Several presentations have already been scheduled for the upcoming Meteoritical Society Meeting 2025 in Australia. We look forward to future discussions that will further explore and refine our understanding of their potential origin. For now, all we can do is make educated guesses. What do you think? This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Zawya
17-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
ACG pledges $2bln in development funding for Mauritania
Arab Coordination Group (ACG), an alliance comprising ten development funds from Arab world, has pledged $2 billion in development funding for Mauritania in Northwest Africa. The pledge was made at a high-level roundtable held in Vienna, Austria, chaired by the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, and hosted by the OPEC Fund for International Development, according to a press statement issued by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). Speaking on behalf of the Arab Coordination Group, the President of IsDB Muhammed Al Jasser, said the funding will be directed to vital priority sectors, including energy, water, transportation and digital infrastructure over a five year period from 2025 to 2030. The portfolio of projects presented by the Mauritanian government at the round table included 'an initiative to hybridise thermal power plants and enhance existing hybrid facilities with advanced energy storage solutions'; strategic water infrastructure projects at Taraf Al-Mahroud and Karakoro Basin and rehabilitation of the Nouakchott–Nouadhibou and Rosso–Boghé corridors. Last year, the ACG extended $19.6 billion collectively to fund nearly 650 operations in more than 90 countries. The Group comprises Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Arab Gulf Programme for Development, the Arab Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Qatar Fund for Development and the Saudi Fund for Development. (Writing by SA Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon) (
CNN
23-05-2025
- Science
- CNN
Mediterranean monk seals: Back from the brink
Editor's Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action. Mediterranean monk seals, with their big, round eyes and gentle appearance, are cleverer than they look. Known for their sneaky tactic of snatching the catch from fishing nets and sometimes ripping them in the process, they have not been popular with fishermen, with some deliberately killing seals in retaliation. The mammal, which was once widespread across the Mediterranean, Black Sea, northwest Africa, and the Atlantic islands of the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores, was also historically hunted for meat, oil and skins. As a result of these threats, populations suffered a dramatic decline in the 20th century, with the species becoming one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth. But in recent years, the tide has turned. While Mediterranean monk seals remain at risk, thanks to conservation efforts and legal protections, populations have bounced back. Some estimate that earlier this century, the population was between 400 and 600; now there are up to 1,000 estimated globally. In 2015, the species was reclassified from 'critically endangered' to 'endangered,' and two years ago, it was listed as 'vulnerable.' Scientists hope that with continued care, the species will have a brighter future.
