Winchcombe Meteorite: This Asteroid May Solve Mystery Of Earth’s Water

The water in a meteorite that struck the Gloucestershire town of Winchcombe last year was almost a perfect match for the water on Earth.

This supports the theory that space-born rocks introduced water and other important chemical elements to the planet early in its existence, billions of years ago.

The meteorite is thought to be the most significant one ever found in the UK.

According to scientists who have published their first in-depth investigation, their study has produced remarkable findings.

(Photo : Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
The Winchcombe meteorite sits on display at the Natural History Museum on May 13, 2021 in London, England. The meteorite is a rare type, the first to fall in 30 years. The Natural History Museum re-opens to the public on Monday 17th May.

Winchcombe Meteorite May Solve Water Mystery on Earth

The study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, suggests that space rocks may have carried essential chemical elements, like water, to our planet billions of years ago, creating the oceans and all life on Earth.

According to the US Geological Survey, water covers around 71% of the surface of the Earth, with oceans containing roughly 96.5% of all water.

The Winchcombe meteorite, as it has come to be called, was imaged and chemically analyzed, and it was determined to contain around 11% water and 2% carbon by weight, making it the first of its sort discovered in the UK.

According to a news statement from the Natural History Museum (via CNN), the scientists determined that the ratio of hydrogen isotopes in the water closely approximated the makeup of water on Earth.

The greatest proof that water and biological stuff were brought to the planet by asteroids like the one Winchcombe broke away from was found in extracts from the rock, which also included traces of extraterrestrial amino acids.

A CM carbonaceous chondrite, a kind of stony meteorite with a high composition of elements that predate the solar system, was identified as the meteorite.

ALSO READ: Extraterrestrial Liquid Discovered in Meteorite for the First Time, Holding More Clues of Earth's Water Origin

Space Rock's Exact Trajectory

Analyzing the meteorite's organic components, including carbon, nitrogen, and amino acids, revealed a similarly clear picture.

According to BBC News, this kind of chemistry could have provided the building blocks for the emergence of biology on the early Earth.

The current investigation likewise confirms the provenance of the meteorite.

Researchers have been able to determine a fairly exact course thanks to camera video of the fireball.

This suggests that the meteorite came from the outer asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter when calculated backwards.

Further research reveals that it was likely knocked off the top few meters of a parent asteroid during a collision.

The quantity of certain atoms, such as neon, generated in the meteorite material by the continuous exposure to high-speed space particles, or cosmic rays, shows that it only took 200,000 to 300,000 years for them to reach Earth.