Scientists have discovered fragments of meteorites in the ocean

NASA scientists have just discovered the first fragments of meteorites in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists hunted aboard ship Nautilus pieces of a meteorite that fell in March 2018. The fall was one of the largest meteorite falls in recent history, and pieces of meteorites seemed particularly sturdy, non-crackable or brittle when passing through the atmosphere.

Nautilus scientists have identified two small pieces that could be part of the space rock. Preliminary analyzes suggest that the small fragments are pieces of melting crust – "the outside of the meteorite that melted and flowed like glaze on the pottery as it penetrated into the atmosphere. ", writes NASA

. the bottom of the sea. According to Mashable, Fries and his team had identified the meteor fall area at one square kilometer of ocean which was about 100 meters deep, and then went exploring on the Nautilus, a ship of the Ocean Exploration Trust. The Nautilus was equipped with remote controlled vehicles (ROV) equipped with cameras and "magnetic rods" to detect the iron often present in meteorites.

Meanwhile, backscatter instruments at the top of the ship swept the seabed to find hard objects. Although the best way for scientists to detect meteorites was something much simpler: scientists studied the seabed through the ROV cameras, looking for rocks that seemed out of place. "The best tools are the eyes," said Fries Mashable. Scientists will confirm the preliminary results of Nautilus in other tests

Pieces of meteorites can teach scientists the Earth's history and early solar system chemical analysis cues. "Having a new puzzle piece is always welcome in the scientific community," Fries told Newsweek.

(via NASA / Newsweek / Mashable)