Overview

• Planetary scientists have identified two meteorites, Ksar Ghilane 022 and Northwest Africa 15915, recovered from the Sahara as potential fragments of Mercury’s crust.
• Laboratory analyses show the samples contain olivine, oldhamite, pyroxene and minor albitic plagioclase with oxygen isotopes consistent with aubrites, hinting at a Mercurian connection.
• Researchers note that the iron-free silicates and spectral properties of the meteorites more closely resemble aubrites than Mercury’s red-hued surface, fueling debate over their provenance.
• At about 4.5 billion years old, the rocks may represent remnants of a long-lost proto-Mercury crust that predates the planet’s current surface.
• Further laboratory investigations are planned to examine spectral discrepancies and evaluate alternative parent bodies if Mercury provenance remains unresolved.