science

Updated: Mar 13, 2018 08:23 IST

A very rare and primitive kind of meteorite that had hit Rajasthan in June 2017 could unravel many mysteries about the early origin of life and provide clues to how the solar system has evolved through billions of years, says a team of scientists from the Geological Survey of India.

“The meteorite belongs to a very rare and primitive group of meteorites called CM group of carbonaceous chondrites. An estimated 44 tonnes of meteoritic material hit the earth every day, but less than 5% of these belong to this group,” said G Vidyasar, additional director of GSI.

The meteorite had hit Mukundpura near Jaipur in Rajasthan in the early morning of June 6, 2017 creating a 6 feet deep crater in an agricultural land. Eyewitnesses described it as a bright reddish-yellow fireball coming from the western sky and triggering a loud noise when it hit the ground. The local police had recovered around 2.2 kilos of the meteorite and handed over to the GSI.

What is of interest to the scientists is that the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, unlike other meteorites, contain very primitive traces of carbon. And carbon forms the backbone of all life on earth.

“This meteorite could be carrying some of the most pristine primordial matter recovered from space as it is made up of materials which were formed during the early stages of the formation of the solar system. A detailed analysis could provide clues about the origin of life and the formation and evolution of the solar system,” said Dwijesh Ray a scientist with the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad who has also studied this rock from the space.

Scientists said that the presence of volatile organic compounds and water indicates that they have not undergone any significant changes while entering the earth’s atmosphere.

“Their composition could be very close to that of Solar Nebula, from which the solar system is believed to have condensed. Hence it can shed light on formation and evolution of stars and provide information about the age, composition and evolution of the solar system,” said G Suresh, deputy director general of GSI.

The GSI which maintains the National Meteorite Repository has a collection of over 700 meteorites. But only four out of these, including the Mukundpura meteorite, belong to the carbonaceous chondrites group. The earliest collection of a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite in the GSI coffer dates back to June 1890, which had struck Nawapalli in Odisha.

Scientists also said that another meteorite had struck Tinsukia in Assam just prior to the Mukundpura meteorite on June 5. It had hit the floodplains of the River Lohit. Even though bigger in size than the Mukundpura one, the Tinsukia meteorite is an ordinary chondrite.