Given the cold climate and wild setup, Antarctica is quite a difficult place to work in. SciTechDaily reports, however, that it is one of the best hunting spots for meteorites. This is partly due to the fact that Antarctica is actually a desert. The area's dry climate narrows the weathering of the meteorites.
Aside from its dry climate, the landscape itself also makes it an ideal meteorite hunting spot. The dark meteorites visibly stand out in the midst of its snowy surroundings. Even if the heavy space rocks end up sinking into the ice, the churning motion of the glacier against the meteorite enables the rocks to be exposed once more, close to the blue icy fields of the continent.
That being said, a global research team delved through the continent and attested to how it is an ideal spot to search for meteorites. In fact, after their recent expedition, they came home with five different meteorites. Among their lineup is an astonishing meteorite that weighs roughly 17 pounds.
17-Pound Meteorite
CNN reports that this meteorite was among the largest that were ever spotted within the continent. This rare find has a cantaloupe's size, but its weight goes as high as 17 pounds or 7.7 kilograms.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, researcher and co-leader Ryoga Maeda from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel noted how the space rock originated from the asteroid belt and could have landed on Antarctic ice around tens of thousands of years before.
Across Antarctica, there were only around a hundred same-sized or larger meteorites that were found. In total, however, there were around 45,000 meteorites retrieved from the continent in the last century. Smithsonian Magazine also notes how there could be as many as 300,000 other meteorites in the icy land.
Research scientist Maria Valdes from the University of Chicago and Field Museum notes that when it comes to meteorites, size does not have that much value since even the smallest ones could be scientifically important. Valdes notes, however, that a big find like this 17-pound meteorite is both rare and exciting.
There were four scientists who embarked on this mission. The team included Valdes, and it was directed by Vinciane Debaille of FNRS-ULD (Université Libre de Bruxelles). There were also Maria Schönbächler (ETH-Zurich) and Ryoga Maeda (VUB-ULB) who rounded out the team. The team was the first to search through meteorite locations that were mapped out with the help of thesis student Veronica Tolenaar's satellite imagery.
What Meteorites Say About the Solar System
According to SciTechDaily, the five new meteorites that the team recovered will be studied further at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Other than this, sediments that may hold micrometeorites were split between the researchers for them to study further.
Valdes notes her eagerness for the results because meteorites enable a better understanding of the universe. The bigger the sample size, the better the understanding of the solar system and of humanity.
The Smithsonian Magazine also notes how meteorites serve as "windows into the past." Some meteorites hold pieces of materials that were formed during the solar system's birth around 4.6 billion years ago. They thus serve as rare objects of study for scientists. Meteorites can also show temperatures within and on asteroids, as well as the age of the elements that became planets.
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