A rare 4.6 billion year old meteorite, which has been around since the beginning of the solar system, hits a house in the US

A rock fell on the roof of an apartment building in Hopewell, New Jersey, in the United States. Scientists, after examining it, confirmed that it was a rare meteorite.

Here's What We Know

The space rock belongs to the chondritic subgroup. It is the most common subgroup of meteorites. It includes more than 85% of all space rocks that reach the surface of our planet. Most of them have been found in Antarctica.

The meteorite that fell on a house in New Jersey is 15 cm high, 10 cm wide and weighs 900 g. The rare metal rock is about 4.6 billion years old. The incident took place on 8 May 2023. The meteorite pierced the lid of the house and dented the floor.

Days later, researchers determined that the space rock has existed since the beginning of the solar system and represents fragments left over from its creation. The meteorite is likely to be named Titusville, NJ. This is the nearest postal address to the impact site.

The metal rock has a blackened crust several millimetres thick. It was formed by burning in the atmosphere. The meteorite is an LL-6 class chondrite. It contains less iron than the other members of this subgroup. Its density is about 30-40% higher than that of granite and shale.

Source: space