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A small piece of stone was found in a field in Gloucestershire, western England, which scientists have confirmed to be an ancient meteorite.
Scientists estimate the meteorite’s age to be 4.6 billion years old, making it the oldest meteorite found on Earth today. Note that the age of the planet itself is 4.54 billion years, according to “Sputnik”. According to scientists, this small stone, which was found by Derek Robson, a resident of Loughborough, an employee of the East Anglia Astrophysical Research Organization (EAARO) is a piece of space debris left after the formation of the planets in the solar system.
It is believed to have reached Earth from the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Researchers at Loughborough University, along with colleagues from Iaro, are studying the structure and composition of the meteorite, which is named Winchcombe after the village near where it was found. Scientists hope to find answers to questions about the processes that occurred at the start of the solar system, and perhaps the origin of Earth and life on it. Scientists use techniques such as electron microscopy to study surface morphology at the micron and nanometer scales, as well as seismic spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, which provide detailed information about crystal structure, chemical phases and molecular interactions of the material. The meteoric material is similar to weakly bonded concrete and consists of particles and dust, which have never been subjected to strong cosmic collisions, that is, they did not participate in the formation of protoplanetary bodies.
“The internal structure is brittle, porous and cracked,” said study co-author Sean Fowler, a specialist in light and electron microscopy at Loughborough University’s Center for the Study of Materials, in a statement. hurry. It’s a rare opportunity to explore a piece of our pristine past.
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