At the end of April, a unique meteorite fell in Costa Rica. It is a carbon chondrit —This means that it consists of more than 80 % clay. This makes it a unique “transport container”, which probably brought from space to the ground new wonders —As has already happened before.
Information about the unusual meteorite came when one of the families complained that the “strange stone” destroyed their dining room. It was a fragment of slightly less than 1 kg weighing, but the energy of the blow was enough to easily break through the iron roof. Scientists have already calculated that initially the meteorite weighed several tons and was the size of a washing machine, but in the dense layers of the atmosphere fell into many fragments. In a few days of hasty searches, dozens of them were found, with a total weight of 24 kg – a small part of the entire guest from space.
Even if the rest of the wreckage is not soaked during the season of tropical rains, the presence of the Earth in the atmosphere itself, contact with oxygen, can destroy their contents. Hondrites are extremely rare against the background of the entire number of meteorites, but very important for science – their clay structure serves as an excellent drive of various particles, formations and even traces of life. For example, the most famous chondritis, “Murchison meteorite”, in 1969 helped to open an extraterrestrial type of amino acid.
Now scientists hope to get new miracles and knowledge from the Costa Rican meteorite about how the universe is arranged. Researchers from the University of Arizona, who were the first to get the largest and most valuable fragments, were most lucky. They promise to publish research results as quickly as possible, but do not intend to share the find – a unique meteorite will remain in the Laboratory of the University.
Costa Rican meteorite weighing 146 grams
Source — Space