Researchers found five meteorites, including a 16.7-pound find. The White Helmet: Maria Schönbachler. Green Helmet: Maria Valdes. Black Helmet: Ryuga Maeda. Orange Helmet: Vincent Depay.
Antarctica may not be many scientists’ first choice for their field research. But to a group of scientists studying meteorites, the Antarctic ice sheet is a hot layer of fireballs falling from the sky.
Finding meteorites in the frozen desert is not uncommon. In fact, about 45,000 have been found over the past 100 years, according to appreciation From Maria Valdez, Research Scientist at the Field Museum and University of Chicago.
Valdes, who is part of an international team of researchers, confirmed Antarctica as a meteorite hotspot after finding 5 new meteorites on an expedition in December.
One of the meteorites weighed 16.7 pounds, which is remarkable for its size. Valdez said only 100 or so meteorites of this size or larger have been found.
The team announced the discovery in the Field Museum issue.
“Size doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to meteorites,” Valdez said, “and even small micrometeorites can be incredibly valuable scientifically, but of course, finding a large meteorite like this is really rare and exciting.”
Part of what makes Antarctica the perfect place to find meteorites is its dry climate and ever-changing landscape. A snow-covered horizon means black meteorites are sticking out, and the rippling and constant movement of glaciers helps reveal meteorites near the surface that may be buried. The ice also preserves meteorites well, reducing the amount of wear and tear that might erase cosmic clues hidden in rocks.
All five meteorites found by the team will be analyzed at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and Valdes hopes the results will reveal some of the mysteries of the solar system.
Another meteorite, which fell from Mars and landed in the Moroccan desert in 2011, was recently analyzed to find out what secrets it could tell us.
The meteorite contained organic magnesium, which indicates that there may once have been a carbon cycle on Mars, an essential building block for life, as I mentioned before. McClatchy News.
Valdez said, “Studying meteorites helps us better understand our place in the universe. The larger the sample size of meteorites we have, the better we can understand our solar system, and the better we can understand ourselves.”