A Florida State University scientist says he's uncovered what may be the first recognized example of ancient Martian crust in a unique meteor.

Munir Humayun, of the university's Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, said he made the find in analyzing a 4.4-billion-year-old Martian meteorite unearthed by Bedouin tribesmen in Africa's Sahara desert in 2012.

The analysis found high concentrations of trace metals such as iridium, an element that indicates meteoritic bombardment -- indicating the meteorite came from the cratered area of Mars' southern highlands, Humayun said.

"This cratered terrain has been long thought to hold the keys to Mars' birth and early childhood," Humayun said, noting the meteorite, dubbed NWA 7533, is the first sample to come from this area.

Analyzing the chemistry of pieces of soil contained in the meteorite, the researchers said they were able to calculate the thickness of Mars' crust.

Special crystals within the meteorite, called zircons, were dated at 4.4 billion years old, the researchers said.

"This date is about 100 million years after the first dust condensed in the solar system," Humayun said. "We now know that Mars had a crust within the first 100 million years of the start of planet building, and that Mars' crust formed concurrently with the oldest crusts on Earth and the moon."