A meteorite found in the desert of Morocco is a 4.4 billion-year-old piece of the Martian crust according to new research.

In a paper published in the journal Icarus researchers from Brown University and the University of New Mexico the meteorite, dubbed “Black Beauty”, was shown to be a match for the “bulk background” of the rock surface of the martian surface.

When scientists originally analyzed “Black Beauty” also known as NWA 7034, in 2011 they knew that it was unusual. The chemical composition of of the meteorite confirmed that it was from Mars but it was different from any other meteorites of Martian origin found to date.

All of the other Martian meteorites identified were classified as shergottites, nakhilites or chassignates (SNC). SNC meteorites are primarily made of cooled volcanic activity. They also show younger formation ages and have a different oxygen isotopic composition than standard meteorites.

Black Beauty is classified as a breccia, which shows a combination if different rock types joined together by a basaltic matrix. The sedimentary components which make up the Moroccan meteorite appear to match rocks analyzed by the mars rover. This indicates that it is a piece of the Martian crust, rather than material kicked up by volcanic activity.

That makes Black Beauty not only an interesting meteorite but the first and so far only sample of the martian surface available to researchers on Earth.

After acquiring a piece of Black Beauty, Kevin Cannon of Brown and Jack Mustard from New Mexico used a range of spectroscopic techniques for analysis. In particular a hyperspectral imaging system developed by Headwall photonics enabled detailed spectral imaging.

“Other techniques give us measurements of a dime-sized spot. What we wanted to do was get an average for the entire sample. That overall measurement was what ended up matching the orbital data,” said Cannon in a statement.

According to the researchers the spectral match helps “put a face” on the dark plains of mars, which are dominated by brecciated rocks. Those plains, where dust is thin, are thought to be representative of what lies under much of the surface of the planet.

“This is showing that if you went to Mars and picked up a chunk of crust, you’d expect it to be heavily beat up, battered, broken apart and put back together,” said Cannon.

According to the paper, the analysis of Black Beauty is in line with what is known about the Martian surface and the geological history of the planet.

“Mars is punctured by over 400,000 impact craters greater than 1 km in diameter … Because brecciation is a natural consequence of impacts, it is expected that material similar to NWA 7034 has accumulated on Mars over time,” says the paper.

Currently NASA is actively trying to sort out the many issues involved with brining samples of the Martian surface back to Earth.

According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “a sample return mission will require the use of lander technologies to safely reach the surface and rover technologies to reach areas with suitable samples. Orbiters may play a key role in capturing the sample in Mars orbit. We are also putting together a program to develop some additional technology capabilities that are unique to sample return.”

While the “Black Beauty” sample may not have been carefully selected by NASA’s researchers, having a confirmed sample of the Martian crust that has already been delivered should enable the agency to do some preliminary work. It also may help the agency to choose which samples they want to collect.