This meteor flew from Earth into space and back again

the NWA 13188 meteorite According to scientists, he should have flown from Earth into space before landing back on Earth. This would make the Black Stone discovered in Morocco in 2018 the first known meteorite to have made such a round trip.

It weighs 646 grams. Its crystal structure and chemical composition indicate that it may have formed from molten minerals produced by some volcanoes on Earth. Also a mixture Oxygen isotopes and trace elements indicates that it is not a typical meteor from outer space.

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Exposure to cosmic rays

According to the geophysicist Jerome Gacheca from french The National Center for Scientific Research So the stone came from Earth and spent tens of thousands of years in orbit. his focus on Helium-3, beryllium-10, and neon-21 According to the researchers, it can only be explained by the effects of cosmic radiation.

Although the concentration of this isotope is lower than in other meteorites, it is also significantly higher than in other rocks on Earth. The glassy outer layer could also indicate a melting process as the stone re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.

Age has not yet been explored

It is unclear how the stone reached orbit. It is believed that it was ejected during a volcanic eruption when a large asteroid collided with the Earth. But there is no evidence for this. The researchers also want to know how old NWA 13188 is.

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