Additional Coverage:
- Meteorite fragment that slammed through homeowner’s roof is billions of years old, predates Earth: professor (foxnews.com)
Georgia Homeowner Gets a Surprise from Space – A Billions-Year-Old Meteorite!
A Georgia homeowner got quite the surprise last June when a meteorite fragment crashed through their roof. University of Georgia geologist Scott Harris confirmed the fragment originated from an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. “A lot of people saw the fireball,” Harris noted, describing the dramatic entry of the space rock on June 26.
Harris, alerted to the incident, investigated the home and traced the fragment’s destructive, yet surprisingly contained, path. It pierced the roof, an air duct (in and out!), insulation, and finally the ceiling before embedding itself in the floor.
“The homeowner didn’t know that they actually had a clean hole through the roof, through an air duct,” Harris explained, detailing the surprising journey of the fragment through the home’s structure. The impact left a small crater in the floor, “about the size of a large cherry tomato.”
The meteorite fragment, estimated to be older than Earth itself, offers a glimpse into the early solar system. Harris explained these fragments are remnants of the original material formed approximately 4.56 billion years ago, predating the formation of the rocky planets. Studying these objects provides valuable insights into the processes occurring during the solar system’s early stages.
While this small fragment posed no substantial threat, Harris emphasized the importance of studying meteorite dynamics to assess and mitigate potential risks from larger objects. Understanding the origins and behavior of these celestial bodies is crucial for developing strategies to prevent future collisions. He highlighted the success of the DART mission, a demonstration of kinetic impact technology, which could potentially deflect asteroids on a collision course with Earth.