The meteorite probably originated from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
Maria Valdes
Antarctic researchers have found a rare large meteorite on the ice. Weighing 7.6 kilograms, he is one of the largest space rocks ever discovered on the continent.
Antarctica’s dry, cold climate carefully protects landing meteorites, but the uniform white background and active glaciers stir up ancient space rocks buried beneath the ice, making them perfect for finding meteorites. I’m looking for one of those places. More than 45,000 meteorites have been found in Antarctica in the last 100 years, most of which are micrometeorites weighing tens to hundreds of grams.
Maria Schoenbechler At ETH Zurich, Switzerland, her colleagues discovered five new meteorites during an expedition near the Princess Elizabeth Antarctic Research Station last December. This was during the Antarctic summer, when temperatures were relatively warm at -10°C (14°F).
To find the meteorite, Schönbächler and her team used a machine learning model to comb through satellite imagery and identify five areas of ice with relatively little snow that might otherwise have covered the meteorite. identified. They systematically explored all five of her regions by snowmobile, but only one of hers contained meteorites. “Honestly, I was lucky to find something this big,” Schönbächler says.
The meteorite hasn’t been analyzed yet, but it looks like regular chondrite, the most common type, says Schönbächler. These objects contain the oldest material in the solar system and are thought to have originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The team now plans to send the meteorite in a coolbox to Belgium for further analysis to prevent thawing, which could damage its delicate chemical structure.
“Meteorites this large are rarely found in Antarctica,” he says. Ashley King At the Natural History Museum in London. “The more meteorites, the more samples we have available to study and learn about the early solar system.”
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