We believe the meteorite ALH 84001 came from Mars because of trace amounts of gas trapped in the rock. What does analysis of this gas reveal?
A) The gas matches the carbon dioxide-nitrogen composition of Mars's very early atmosphere some 4.5 billion years ago. This is also the age given by radioactive dating of this meteorite.
B) The gas contains a combination of water vapor, iron oxide, and carbon dioxide, which we believe are unique to the surface of Mars in its "wet" period 4.5 billion years ago.
C) The gas matched the current composition of the Martian atmosphere measured by the Viking Landers. This would also be the composition when the rock was blasted off the surface 16 million years ago. Presumably, this blast would have melted the rock and trapped some gas inside.
D) In addition to a composition that matches the atmosphere of Mars, the gas contains the right amount of space dust to be consistent with orbiting the Sun for 16 million years.
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