A 646-gram meteorite that once left our planet, soared into space, and somehow ended its extraordinary journey back on Earth.
An unpublished study by scientists from the French National Center for Scientific Research may surprise you with the journey of a black rock, discovered in Morocco in 2018.
According to the study, the rock officially named “Northwest Africa (NWA) 13188” is believed to have been launched from Earth into outer space.
A mysterious rock that underwent an extraordinary journey after being launched into space and returning to Earth. (Illustration: Getty).
According to the French National Center for Scientific Research, this 646-gram “boomerang rock” may have been ejected from Earth due to volcanic activity. Its crystalline structure and chemical composition also align with this assessment, as it possesses a mix of oxygen isotopes and several trace elements.
After its extraordinary journey through space, the structure of the rock changed. It contains a significant amount of Helium-3, Beryllium-10, and Neon-21, researchers stated. These are radiations found in space but are largely blocked by Earth’s magnetic field.
Although the concentrations of these isotopes are lower than those found in other meteorites, they are still significantly higher than those in rocks originating from Earth. This raises the possibility that “NWA 13188” may have been exposed to cosmic rays for a duration of up to several tens of thousands of years.
“We consider NWA 13188 to be a meteorite. It was launched from Earth and then returned,” the research team concluded. This rock may have been larger originally; however, it partially melted upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Close-up of the rock believed to have “traveled” through space for tens of thousands of years before returning to Earth. (Photo: Meteorological Society).
However, the unpublished research has not convinced all experts in the field.
Planetary scientist Philippe Claeys disputes the above conclusion, citing insufficient evidence regarding the origins of the unusual rock. He stated, “When you make extraordinary claims, you need extraordinary evidence to support them. I am still not convinced.”
Additionally, many arguments have raised doubts about the ability of volcanoes to launch rocks into space.
According to calculations by Phys, to enter orbit, a rock expelled from a volcano would need to travel at speeds of tens of thousands of km/h. However, this is unlikely as it is significantly higher than the average flight speed of most other rocks.
Moreover, the highest volcanic plumes typically reach only about 31 to 45 km above Earth, making it impossible for volcanic activity to propel rocks into space.
Another hypothesis has been proposed. Analysts suggest that the impact of an asteroid may have generated the force that propelled the rock “backwards” into space.
In fact, some collisions between Earth and asteroids can create enough force to send debris into space. Such a rock was found on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.
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