The Very First Asteroids Found-With Earth Like Crust

According to new research from the University of Maryland, the University of Tennessee, Carnegie Institution for Science and many prestigious scientists, The Very First Asteroids Found-With Earth Like Crust, have been found in Antarctica.

They are believed to be from an ancient asteroid with a crust similar to that of our own Earth’s continents. The samples are the oldest example of rock with such a composition ever collected and shed light on the materials of the early solar system.

The two meteorites were discovered in Antarctica’s Graves Nunatak Icefield in 2007, but the scientific data is just coming out to the general public.

The small but valuable rocks are over 4.52 billion years old and were formed during the birth of the solar system. That really gives the phrase “older than dirt,” a new meaning.

Their age, combined with the oxygen isotope data, all point to their origin coming from an asteroid rather than a planet.

For those of you who do not know, asteroids are sometimes called minor planets or planetoids and are bodies, primarily of the inner solar system. They are smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids, but do not include comets.

To read about all of the scientific aspects of The Very First Asteroids Found-With Earth Like Crust, go to one of my favorite sites Astrobiology Magazine.