Swiss researcher finds spectacular meteorite in Antarctica
The meteorite was easily visible on the snow
Maria Schönbächler/eth Zürich
A rare meteorite weighing 7.6kg has been uncovered in Antarctica by a researcher from the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich, together with scientists from Belgium and the US. They say the stone is of great importance for research.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Español
es
Un investigador suizo halla un espectacular meteorito en la Antártida
“Finding a meteorite that’s larger than a fist is extraordinary,” said ETH Zurich earth scientist Maria Schönbächler, who was part of the Antarctica mission. Most meteorites found weigh only about 20 grams, she said.
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.
“Meteorites are used for planetary exploration,” Schönbächler said. This is because the number of meteorites available for research is extremely limited. In Switzerland, for example, only 11 meteorites have been found since 2018. “That’s why 7.6kg more to analyse is a lot,” she explained.
The research team searched for meteorites in Antarctica from December 2022 to mid-January 2023. Using satellite images and GPS coordinates, they explored the potential of several areas. “Antarctica is suitable for meteorite finds because the black stones are easily visible on the white snow,” Schönbächler said.
She said that due to the migration of the glaciers, new meteorites would continue to be uncovered in the million-year-old ice. In addition to the large meteorite, the researchers also found several smaller ones.
In Brussels
The meteorite was transported frozen to Brussels, where it is being thawed under controlled conditions at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. “There are metals in a meteorite that can rust quickly,” Schönbächler explained. To avoid this, the water has to be drained off immediately during thawing.
Once thawed, the meteorite is precisely dated, she said. “We assume it’s about four-and-a-half billion years old.” The meteorite will then be available for further scientific studies.
More
More
Meteorite contains oldest material on Earth
This content was published on
Swiss researchers have helped determine that stardust from a meteorite is seven billion years old.
Swiss parliament calls for deeper EU security cooperation
This content was published on
The House of Representatives has called on the Swiss government to take a more proactive approach to European security policy.
Switzerland has no US-style fentanyl problem, says health minister
This content was published on
There is very little chance of a US-sized fentanyl epidemic in Switzerland, says health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider.
This content was published on
Two fish species recently discovered in Switzerland have been called fluvicola and ommata, following an appeal to the public for names.
Convicted ex-shipowner achieves partial success in Swiss court
This content was published on
The Federal Supreme Court orders lower court to reassess part of its verdict against former Swiss shipowner Hans-Jürg Grunder.
This content was published on
A Swiss moratorium on the genetic engineering of plants, which expires at the end of 2025, could be extended for five years.
SWISS airline achieves second-best profit in history
This content was published on
Revenues soared for Swiss International Air Lines in 2024, contributing to the second-largest profit in the company's history.
This content was published on
The Bern Natural History Museum announced on Thursday that its search efforts, led by researcher Beda Hofmann, turned up more than 600 fragments over the past few years, in what is one of the three largest scatter fields in Europe. The Twannberg meteorite broke into hundreds of pieces when it entered earth’s atmosphere. It is…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.