Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program/Katherine Joy Meteorites may be buried under the snow in the Antarctica

The Antarctic has been a hotspot for meteorite hunters, with more than two thirds of the total number of meteorites collected being found there. This is partly because their dark colouring stands out against the white snow, which makes them easy to detect.

GETTY An iron-rich meteorite

Additionally, ice flow in Antarctica takes meteorites and naturally and gradually transports them to concentrated areas known as meteorite stranding zones (MSZ). However, there have been few iron-rich meteorites found in the region but a team from the University of Manchester thinks that they have figured out why not many iron-rich meteorites have been found there.

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GETTY A meteorite entering the atmosphere

They say that these meteorites are more prone to conducting heat from the sun’s rays, in comparison with non-metallic ones, which causes them to melt the ice around them and subsequently burying them in ice and snow once they have been transported to an MSZ. The team says that for meteorite hunters looking for iron-rich meteorites in Antarctica, they should be looking 10-50cm below the surface.

GETTY The meteorites may hold the secrets to the solar system