A rock that crashed into a house in New Jersey this year has been confirmed as a rare meteorite believed to be around 4.6 billion years old. The confirmation comes after several tests and observations of the small rock, which scientists say is a type of meteorite called a stony chondrite.
Nathan Magee, head of the physics department at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), was contacted to examine the rock after Hopewell Township police responded to the discovery. The rock was first discovered on May 8, and confirmation that it was indeed a meteorite came a few days later, on May 11.
It is believed that 85 percent of meteorites found on Earth are chondrites. These ancient rocks are found all over the world, although it is rare for a meteorite like this to hit a populated area, as most of these meteorites are found in remote areas such as Antarctica.
The meteorite is about six inches long and four inches wide. According to AP. The rock was a notable exception to the way chondrites are usually found, as the meteorite punched through the roof of a house in Hopewell Township, puncturing the floorboards on which it landed, and was still hot when it was found on one of the occupants. 'The bedrooms.
Because of its age, the rare meteorite is believed to have existed since the beginning of our solar system. Therefore, it may represent some fragment of the formation of our solar system. So, scientists can learn about the origin of life on Earth and how our solar system was born by studying the rock, its makeup, and other data they can pull from it.
Unfortunately, as the rock endures heat in space and enters the Earth’s atmosphere, the surface of the rock is greatly altered, and it is challenging to make out the individual grains of the rock’s makeup. However, it is very inventive.