Maryborough Meteorite: An Ancient 4.6 Billion Year Old Discovery by Melbourne Museum

Appearance of meteorites older than the Solar System (Source: Museum Victoria)

When he realized he couldn’t open the ‘stone’, but was still curious, Hole decided to take the chunk to the Melbourne Museum for identification.

The researchers then published a scientific paper describing this 4.6 billion year old meteorite. Named Maryborough, after the town near the discovery location, this meteorite weighs up to 17 kilograms (37.5 pounds).

According to Melbourne Museum geologist Dermot Henry, “They have a sculpted, dimpled appearance. They form when they pass through the atmosphere, they melt on the outside, and the atmosphere molds them.”

Henry, who has worked at the museum for 37 years and examined thousands of rocks, stated that only two of the rocks he had ever received turned out to be real meteorites. The Maryborough Meteorite, so named after the place where it was found, is one of these two meteorites.

“If you saw a rock like this on Earth, and you picked it up, it shouldn’t be that heavy,” Melbourne Museum geologist Bill Birch told The Sydney Morning Herald.

2023-11-27 06:50:17
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