This is the conclusion of the first analyses conducted by researchers at the University of Georgia, following the event of June 26, when a meteorite managed to survive entry into the Earth's atmosphere and hit the roof of a house in the town of McDonough, near Atlanta, USA.
According to NASA estimates, the meteorite was 1 meter in diameter and was traveling at a speed of 47,000 kilometers per hour. As it entered the atmosphere during the day, it created a strong glow visible in the southeastern United States. The American Meteor Society received over 240 reports of its sighting. Many people also heard a sonic boom.
After hitting the roof of the house, the meteorite shattered, and a fragment of it managed to create a hole in the floor.
Of the approximately 50 grams of material collected, 23 grams were analyzed using optical and electron microscopy. The results indicate that the meteorite may be an ordinary chondrite with a low metal content. This means that it formed in the presence of oxygen, which makes it older than the Earth itself.
"This meteorite belongs to a group of asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, which we now believe are related to the destruction of a much larger asteroid that occurred around **470 million years ago," explains geologist Scott Harris.
