The billion-year journey of an ancient meteorite

(Dan Tri) - With an age possibly older than the Earth, this small stone becomes a valuable "witness" to the story of the formation of the Solar System from the beginning.

A 23-gram meteorite fragment, identified as an ancient chondrite rock formed about 4.56 billion years ago, possibly even older than Earth, has just fallen in the US state of Georgia.

The McDonough meteorite is older than Earth (Photo: University of Georgia).

On July 26, a bright fireball suddenly appeared in the sky over many states in the southeastern United States, heading towards Earth.

This rare astronomical phenomenon is so bright that it can be detected by satellites in orbit.

The object was a meteorite that entered the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, experiencing intense friction before landing in McDonough, Georgia.

The impact created a hole in the roof, through the ceiling and damaged the wooden floor, just 4 meters away from a resident. Fortunately, there were no casualties after the incident.

Origin of the stone "older" than the Earth

After being recovered, the meteorite named McDonough was brought to the University of Georgia for study. Scientist Scott Harris said that the initial analysis results determined that it was a low-metal content ordinary chondrite (L) – an ancient rock form in the Solar System.

The McDonough meteorite pierced the roof, punching a small hole in the floor before being recorded by a witness (Photo: University of Georgia).

According to orbital analysis, the McDonough meteorite originated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The meteorite is estimated to be about 4.56 billion years old, meaning it likely formed before Earth, which was formed about 4.54 billion years ago.

The theory is that about 470 million years ago, a giant impact shattered a large asteroid into countless pieces. Some of the debris was thrown into an orbit that intersected Earth, continuing to drift through space for hundreds of millions of years before being pulled into the atmosphere by gravity.

The McDonough meteorite may be one of those fragments, and carry the story of the early Solar System's formation.

Scientists say this small stone has become a valuable "witness" for planetary science, providing vivid evidence of the formation and evolution of the Solar System.

Currently, a team of scientists at the University of Georgia is deeply analyzing the meteorite's mineral composition, crystal structure and signs of thermal change.

These data help astronomy better understand the primordial environment, giant collisions, and evolution of celestial bodies.

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