4.5 billion-year-old Meteorite Discovered in Australia
A piece of meteorite believed to be four and a half billion years old found by a group of researchers in Australia. Although controversial, that’s about the age of the Earth, according to modern scientists who believe in evolution. The Australian planetary geologist Phil Bland and his colleagues, however, believe the meteorite is even older tan the earth.
The fragment of the meteorite fell on November 27 (2015) in the great Australian desert, the remote and arid interior of Australia, and then recovered on 31 December of the same year. Though it is a priceless discovery, in appearance it is nothing special. Weighing 1.7 kilograms, the object is a chondrite, a stony meteorite composed primarily of rock, metal accounting for only less than 35% of its weight.
Based on the trajectory that the fireball was taken when it crossed the Earth’s atmosphere, and that researchers were able to follow, they deduce the fall occurred about the time of the formation of the solar system itself, more than 4.5 billion years from now.
A network of cameras placed in the desert has to find the meteorite
The discovery required the collaborations of many parties. In the desert of South Australia, a network of 32 observatories cameras was installed by the Desert Fireball Network (DFN), in collaboration with Curtin University and the museums of South and Western Australia. The team was able to track object falling from the sky, and thus locate it. This indeed allowed the scientists to recover the meteorite on November 27, 2015.
When the meteor crossed the southern sky of Australia, it was detected by four observation stations of the DFN, while residents of William Creek and Marree (North of South Australia) could admire its fall to the naked eye.
After analysis of the image, triangulation and calculations, the Desert Fireball Network team was able to locate the point of impact in the salt lake Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, the lowest point of the country. Using drone and special jet, the team of Phil Bland and Robert Howie explored this remote area, 6 km from the lake. The work complicated by heavy rains which made access to soft ground very difficult.
Meteorite extracted by hand
The effort paid off. The precious object was finally dogged by hand. In a hole about 42 centimeters deep Phil Bland extracted the valuable meteorite. It was joy in the heart of everyone. Heavy rain would fall the next day, which would have wrecked all hope of the finding, but researchers were a day ahead.
Now the examination of the chondrite and its path could provide important information for planetary geologists who are now trying to better understand how the planets orbiting around the Sun, the Earth and its neighbors, have emerged.
This finding, nevertheless, raises plenty of controversy. The creationists believe this earth is between 6 and 7 thousand years old based on the Bible scripture. The evolutionists, however, think this planet has billions of years. There is a chronological conflict between the two parties to agree on the dates the meteorites really hit the earth. .
The fragment of the meteorite fell on November 27 (2015) in the great Australian desert, the remote and arid interior of Australia, and then recovered on 31 December of the same year. Though it is a priceless discovery, in appearance it is nothing special. Weighing 1.7 kilograms, the object is a chondrite, a stony meteorite composed primarily of rock, metal accounting for only less than 35% of its weight.
