Investigate the origin of meteorites that often rain on Earth, experts say

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Recent studies reveal the origins of the majority meteorite which falls to Earth. Where did it come from?

The research explains that more than 90 percent of the meteorites found on Earth come from three families of asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, the result of cosmic accidents that happened millions of years ago. years.

Until now, only a small fraction of meteorites that fall to Earth have been definitively linked to their extraterrestrial origin. However, a series of new studies provide a clearer explanation of the origin of more than 90 percent of the meteorites found today.

Three newly published studies used a combination of highly detailed telescope observations and computer simulations to compare asteroids in space with meteorites found on Earth. They matched the rock types and the orbital paths between them.

The research was led by scientists from the French National Center for Scientific Research, the European Southern Observatory and Charles University in the Czech Republic.

Previous analysis of meteorites that hit Earth showed the same source for these space rocks. These meteorites are made of similar materials and have been exposed to cosmic radiation for a short period of time, indicating that they came from fragments of recently separated parent bodies.

The main focus of the researchers was H (high ​​​​​​​​iron) and L (​​​​low iron) chondrite meteorites, which are the most common types of meteorites and make up about 70 percent of the all meteorites. These are called meteorites because they consist of small particles called chondrules, which are formed due to the rapid cooling of molten rock.

Based on this research, the H and L chondrite meteorites come from three asteroid families, namely Massalia, Karin, and Koronis, all located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. One of the research teams also succeeded in determining the time of a major collision in this asteroid family, which caused rock fragments to eventually land on Earth.

The massive collisions in Massalia occurred about 466 million and 40 million years ago, and the collisions in the Karin and Koronis families occurred about 5.8 million and 7.6 million years ago, respectively.

“Supporting evidence includes associated dust bands, the cosmic ray exposure age of the H chondrite meteorite, as well as the pre-atmospheric orbital distribution of the meteorite,” the researchers wrote in one of their studies. , reports. Science AlertThursday (17/10).

This suggests that most of the meteorites hitting Earth today come from fewer asteroid groups than expected, as well as more recent impact events.

These events explain why meteorites still land today. The life cycle of the asteroid family also plays an important role. The collision that the asteroid family experienced caused many small asteroid fragments which in turn increased the possibility of further collisions and ejections from the asteroid belt.

The researchers also studied less common meteorites as well as H and L chondrites, and were able to trace the origin of more than 90 percent of the meteorites found. This meteorite is related to other asteroid families, including Veritas, Polana, and Eos.

These new findings could help astronomers gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of the Solar System and our planets as well as the paths of asteroids and meteorites in the future. The researchers plan to continue looking until all types of meteorites are identified.

“Future research should focus on the few classes of meteorites that remain, especially iron meteorites, pallasite, and ureilite,” the researchers wrote in their study.

[Gambas:Video CNN]

(wnu/dmi)

[Gambas:Video CNN]