IIT-KGP researchers find that a meteorite that fell in Assam may hold clues to Earth's formation
India Today (June 23, 2021)
A meteorite fall in Assam holds clues to Earth's formation
The meteorite offers insights into the Earth's deepest layers and how it was formed.
The Earth's surface is composed of three layers -- the crust, mantle and core. While we know about crust (the outermost layer) formation and composition, very little is known about the mantle and the core, which are located below the crust. Researchers have now analysed a meteorite that could hold clues about the composition of the mantle and offer insights into how Earth was formed.
A team of students and researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur have analysed a shocked meteorite — one that has gone through high-pressure and high-temperature conditions due to an impact event — to conclude that it has a similar chemical composition as found in Earth's lower mantle. The meteorite, which belonged to the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter, fell near a village in Assam in 2015. (Read More)