Teghaza 001 is one of the most ancient Martian meteorites ever found on Earth. A slice of this meteorite has been used by a research team to determine the age of the rock, a key figure for placing the red planet's geological history in time.

Reflected light images, such as the one showing the Teghaza 001 slice, serve as a road map for scientists: they allow minerals of interest to be identified before analysis with other instruments. This sequential approach, combining optical observation with subsequent analytical techniques, is standard in meteorite studies, where the available sample is scarce and every gram must be used to the full.

Dating Martian meteorites offers a unique window into the chronology of Mars, since rocks recovered on Earth can be analysed with far more powerful laboratory instrumentation than is available on robotic missions. Determining the age of Teghaza 001 helps place this meteorite among the most primitive specimens known and to reconstruct the conditions that prevailed on Mars during its earliest stages.