Never-seen-before 7.6 kg meteorite discovered in Antarctica (PHOTOS)

Our planet is regularly hit by meteorites. This may sound daunting, but in reality, our atmosphere does such a good job that there is usually not much left of them when it hit the Earth's surface. But sometimes meteorites of impressive size are recovered. One such large rock was discovered by a team of researchers on an expedition to Antarctica.

Thousands of meteorites found in Antarctica

Antarctica may be an unforgiving ice desert, but for scientists, this continent is a gold mine! The land is said to be rich in meteorites, and the University of Chicago estimates that around 45,000 of these celestial objects have been recovered over the past 100 years.

Getting hold of an object from elsewhere is an incredible opportunity for science, which is why expeditions are being led to Antarctica. Of course, researchers do not operate on a whim and can rely on technology, and more specifically on satellite imagery, to guide them.

Rare meteorite

A team of four researchers faced the icy cold of this continent in the hopes of recovering cosmic stones. Vinciane Debaille, the team leader said:

Going on an adventure and exploring unknown areas is exciting. But we also had to face the fact that the reality on the ground is much more difficult than the beauty of the satellite images.

Commonly, many meteorites are small, but that doesn't bother the scientists at all:

Size doesn't necessarily matter when it comes to meteorites, and even tiny micrometeorites can have incredible scientific value.

However, they get even more excited after finding more large meteorites. During their expedition, the researchers recovered five meteorites, including one weighing a whopping 7.6 kg! Maria Valdes, another member of the team, enthusiastically adds:

Of course, finding a large meteorite like this is rare and very exciting. The larger the meteorite sample, the better we will understand our Solar System and the better we will understand ourselves.

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This article was translated from Gentside FR.

Source used:

-Phys.org: 17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarctica