Piece of meteorite found in Africa could have come from ancient planet

Very Chech 002

Its igneous texture indicates that Erg Chech 002 was formed by means of a volcano, which, as Science Alert points out, probably means that it could have once been a piece of the crust of a protoplanet, which is the scientific term for a tiny or dwarf planet. For this reason, it has been classified as achondritis, which is quite rare. As Science Alert noted, of the thousands upon thousands of meteorites discovered on Earth, only 3,179 are achondrites, according to the Weather forecast database.

Most achondrites are basaltic, but Erg Chech 002 is what’s known as andesite, something University of Western Brittany geochemist Jean-Alix Barrat discovered on closer inspection. meteorite as shown in report of his research team. Barrat and his team determined by examining the radioactive decay of the aluminum and magnesium isotopes of Erg Chech 002 that these two elements formed in the meteorite about 4.565 billion years ago, making it older. that our Earth is 4.54 billion years old, as indicated by Scientific Alert.

This makes Erg Chech 002 the oldest igneous rock ever analyzed, according to the research team’s report, and sheds light on the formation of crusts of ancient protoplanets like the one that gave rise to Erg Chech 002.

Barrat’s team compared how Erg Chech 002 interacts with light, otherwise defined as spectral characteristics according to Science Alert, with asteroids in the solar system and how they interact with light, but they found no link between the two. This does not necessarily indicate that the Erg Chech 002 is from a different universe, but rather that the protoplanet or the type of protoplanet it came from is no longer present in the solar system.

Science Alert says it’s likely that the original Erg Chech 002 protoplanet was fused with other space rocks. The publication also notes that due to Erg Chech 002’s age and proximity to Earth, other rocks from his protoplanet could have helped form our planet.

Cosmos: Gallery of Possible Worlds

For more science read how researchers learn more about the formation of Mars then read on a a mini-moon orbiting the Earth discovered by astronomers. Although no sign of Krypton, errr life, has been discovered on Erg Chech 002 – sorry, Superman fans – scientists have discovered possible signs of life on Venus detected as early as 1978.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance writer and guide for the IGN. You can follow it on Twitter @LeBlancWes.