Found ancient meteorite older than Earth

Scientists have found the oldest rock on Earth near a lake in southern Australia.

A 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite was found buried under a thick layer of mud. Photo: Curtin University.

According to The Guardian, a research team from the University of Perth collected a 1.7 kg meteorite in Australia. This meteorite was born when the Solar System was just forming 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists found it thanks to a network of 32 cameras, a light aircraft, a 4-wheeled all-terrain vehicle and a drone.

Phil Bland, a planetary geologist, dug the meteorite by hand from a 42cm-deep hole on December 31 in a remote area next to Lake Eyre before rains washed away all traces.

After analyzing the data, the researchers pinpointed the meteorite’s impact site at Kati Thanda in Lake Eyre, but it took them three days to find the exact location where the object was buried. According to Jonathan Paxman, a mechatronics engineer, aerial observations played a key role in finding the meteorite buried under the thick mud of the salt lake.

"The meteorite is older than Earth. It's the oldest rock you can hold in your hand. It came from somewhere between Mars and Jupiter. This is significant because space agencies like NASA spend a billion dollars to reach asteroids and bring samples back. We can do the same thing for a lot less money," Bland said.

According to VnExpress