Meteorite over 4.5 billion years old crashes into a family farm

A brick-shaped, 1.15 kg fragment of a 4.56 billion year old meteorite was found in Perth, Australia.

A brick-shaped meteorite fragment weighing 1.15kg was found in Australia. Photo: AAP/Curtin University.

Members of the Curtin University Desert Fireball Network (DFN) found a 1.15kg brick-shaped meteorite fragment on a farm northeast of Perth, Australia, the Guardian reported yesterday.

The meteorite, believed to be around 4.56 billion years old, older than Earth, hit the ground on October 31. According to Professor Phil Bland, founder of the DFN team, the team's four cameras located in Perenjori, Northam, Badgingarra and Hyden tracked the meteorite's path, allowing them to calculate its landing location.

"The fragment found is a fresh, pristine, unweathered specimen," said Martin Towner, from Curtin University's School of Applied Geology.

The team estimates that the asteroid was 50-100 times larger than it is now before it entered the atmosphere. It fell at free speed when it hit Earth, a speed similar to that of a stone thrown from a tall building.

Under Australian law, the meteorite fragment belongs to the state and the Western Australian Museum will be the custodian of the artifact.

According to VNE