A 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite discovered this spring in the U.K. predates our solar system, researchers say, and may provide insights into how life on Earth came to be.
The tiny meteorite was found in a field in Gloucestershire, resting in a horseshoe impression. It was spotted by Derek Robson, director of astrochemistry at the East Anglian Astrophysical Research Organization (EAARO), who was out searching for fragments of a meteorite with a team of space researchers after a 鈥渂right yellow-green fireball鈥 streaked through the skies at the end of February,
The team had received special permission to go search for meteorite fragments during a COVID-19 lockdown. Around a month after the fireball lit up the skies, a dark stone was spotted by Robson, shining with iridescence in the mud.
Robson and EAARO, along with scientists at the Loughborough University, are studying the rock, which is thought to have travelled a distance of more than 177 million kilometres to reach Earth from its original home in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
But it鈥檚 not the distance that interests scientists 鈥 it鈥檚 the age of the meteorite, and the unusual substances that the meteorite contains.
This meteorite is thought to have existed before the planets of our solar system came together.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 appear to have undergone thermal metamorphism, which means it鈥檚 been sitting out there, past Mars, untouched, since before any of the planets were created, meaning we have the rare opportunity to examine a piece of our primordial past,鈥 Shaun Fowler, a specialist in electron microscopy at the Loughborough Materials Characterisation Centre,
鈥淚t鈥檚 a scientific fairy-tale,鈥 Sandie Dann, a professor at Loughborough University, said in the release. She has known Robson since 1997. 鈥淔irst your friend tracks a meteorite, then finds it and then gifts a bit of this extra-terrestrial material to you to analyze.
鈥淎t this stage, we have learned a good deal about it, but we鈥檝e barely scratched the surface.鈥
Using tools such as electron microscopes to observe the surface texture of the meteorite in fine detail, scientists have begun to compile what the chemical structure and composition of the meteorite is.
The meteorite is in the classification 鈥渃arbonaceous chondrite,鈥 which comprise only 5 per cent of meteorites that fall to Earth. Chondrite is one of two types of stoney meterorites, while carbonaceous chondrite refers to the makeup of the meteorite itself. These meteorites often contain ancient organic material.
鈥淐arbonaceous chondrites contain organic compounds including amino acids, which are found in all living things,鈥 Robson said in the release.
鈥淏eing able to identify and confirm the presence of such compounds from a material that existed before the Earth was born would be an important step towards understanding how life began.鈥
Fowler said that the majority of the meteorite is made up of minerals 鈥渟uch as olivine and phylloscilicates鈥 as well as round grains commonly found in chondrites called chondrules.
鈥淏ut the composition is different to anything you would find here on Earth and potentially unlike any other meteorites we鈥檝e found 鈥 possibly containing some previously unknown chemistry or physical structure never before seen in other recorded meteorite samples,鈥 he added.
If the organic compounds in the meteorite could be identified and studied further, it may add credence to the theory that meteorites brought key amino acids to Earth鈥檚 surface during its early days, adding the building blocks of life to Earth鈥檚 鈥減rimordial soup.鈥
Jason Williams, managing director of EAARO and a member of the team that went searching for the meteorite, said in the Facebook post that it is important to analyze meteorite samples as soon as possible when they have 鈥渧olatile organic compounds.鈥
鈥淲hile curating the meteorite fragments we noticed they exhibited a strong odour which we believe indicates the presence of volatile organic substances that may provide an exciting insight into the origin of this material and the early solar system,鈥 he said.
The University of Sheffield, as well as overseas specialists, will also be helping EAARO in analyzing the meteorite, working to uncover the secrets this ancient piece of our solar system may contain.
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