JAKARTA – a meteorite rock who landed on Sahara desert in 2020 it turns out that he is older than Planet Earth . This ancient space rock is estimated to be around 4.6 billion years old, and is the oldest example of magma from outer space. Also read: Meteor explodes in the sky of America, the explosion is equivalent to 200 kg of TNT
Their age and mineral content suggest that the rock originated in Earth’s early solar system from the crust of protoplanets – large rocky bodies in the process of developing into planets, according to a new study.
The meteorite, called Erg Chech 002 (EC 002), is likely a rare piece of the lost baby planet that was destroyed or absorbed by the larger rocky planets during the formation of our solar system.
The EC 002 fragment was found in Adrar, Algeria, in May 2020. The stone fragment is relatively coarse, brown and cream grained, sporadically studded with crystals with larger portions of green, yellow-green, and a sparse yellow-brown color, according to a statement from Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI).
The Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University explains, EC 002 is achondrite. Namely, a type of meteorite originating from the parent body with a distinct crust and core, and not having spherical mineral grains called chondrules.
About 3,100 meteorites are known to originate from the crust and rocky asteroid mantle layers. But they do reveal little about the diversity of protoplanets when our solar system was young. About 95% comes from just two parent bodies, and about 75% of that comes from a single source – possibly the asteroid 4 Vesta, one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, the researchers report.
Two views from section EC 002. The main mass of the meteorite is at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. Photo / Maine Mineral and Gem Museum / Darryl Pitt
Among the thousands of meteorite rocks, EC 002 stands out. Radioactive versions, or isotopes, of aluminum and magnesium suggest that the meteorite’s host was an ancient object dating from 4.566 billion years ago, and the chemical composition of EC 002 reveals that it emerged from a reservoir of partially melted magma in the crust of the parent body. Most rocky meteorites come from a source with a basaltic crust – a rapidly cooled land rich in iron and magnesium – but the composition of EC 002 suggests that the parent crust is made of andesite, which is rich in silica.
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