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Geochemists have detected a peculiar space rock in Sweden, which they believe to be a previously unknown type of meteorite. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
Approximately 470 million years ago, a collision occurred above Earth, scattering debris across the planet's surface. One of the colliding objects is well-known: it was the source of L-chondrites, the most common meteorite type. The other object, however, has remained unidentified.
Much of the debris from this aerial collision settled into what is now a Swedish limestone quarry. The first two pieces were recovered by quarry workers in 1993. Researchers then conducted a thorough search, eventually finding over 100 meteorites. Except for one, all were L-chondrites.
The remaining rock intrigued scientists from the beginning. To determine its age and origin, they extracted minute samples and examined the molecules inside. They discovered that its chemical composition was entirely distinct, yet similar to the surrounding common meteorites, the rock was approximately 470 million years old. The researchers believe they have found fragments of that enigmatic object and named the new meteorite Österplana 065, or Ö65, after the site of its discovery.
Co-author Qing-zhu Yin, a geochemist and planetary scientist at the University of California, Davis, stated, "In the course of human history, we’ve gathered over 50,000 meteorites, yet nothing like this has ever been encountered before." He went on to say, "The discovery of a new type of meteorite is incredibly exciting."
A primeval storm of space rocks, like the one that brought Ö65 to Earth, could have radically transformed the planet’s surface, potentially creating fresh environments and ecological niches where life forms could evolve.
"This highlights the interconnectedness of the entire solar system, both in space and time, that a random collision 470 million years ago in the asteroid belt could have shaped the evolutionary trajectory of species on Earth," Yin remarked.
