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A ruined piece of rock found in a field in England is a rare meteorite from the early days of the solar system, dating from around 4.6 billion years ago.
The meteorite was discovered in Gloucestershire in March by Derek Robson, a resident of Loughborough, England, and director of astrochemistry at the East Anglian Astrophysical Research Organization (EAARO). The meteorite sat in the imprint of a horseshoe left in a field, according to Loughborough University.
Space rock is a carbonaceous chondrite, a rare category that represents only 4% to 5% of meteorites found on Earth. These meteorites originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and formed early in the history of the solar system. Oddly enough, they often contain organic or carbon compounds, including amino acids that are the building blocks of life. This raises questions as to whether these meteorites hold clues as to how living things first appeared in the solar system.
Related: The 7 strangest asteroids: Weird space rocks in our solar system
Unlike other space debris, this piece of rock did not endure the violent collisions and intense heat involved in the creation of the planets and moons of the solar system.
On the contrary, the meteorite “has remained there, beyond Mars, intact, since before the creation of one of the planets”, Shaun Fowler, microscopist at Loughborough University, said in a press release, “which means we have the rare opportunity to examine a piece of our primordial past.”
The rock is small, charcoal in color and brittle, much like a piece of concrete falling apart. The meteorite is mainly made up of minerals such as olivine and phyllosilicates, Fowler said, as well as round grains called chondrules, which were partially melted beads incorporated into the asteroid during its formation.
“But the makeup is unlike anything you might find here on Earth and potentially unlike any other meteorite we’ve found – possibly containing chemistry or physical structure never before seen in other meteorite samples. recorded, “Fowler said.
Researchers at Loughborough University and EAARO are using electron microscopy to study the meteorite’s surface down to the nanometer (one billionth of a meter), along with techniques called vibrational spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction, which allow you to immerse yourself in the chemical structure of the meteorite minerals. If the team can confirm the presence of amino acids in the sample, the results could reveal new information about how the solar system’s early geochemistry set the stage for life. Examination of the meteorite is still in its early stages.
“At this point, we’ve learned a lot about it, but we’ve barely scratched the surface,” Sandie Dann, a chemist at Loughborough University, said in the statement.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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