Meteorite Recently Confirmed as Older than Earth
On June 26th, scientists examined a small piece of rock and determined that it is older than Earth. The meteor streaked through the sky and crashed into a small house in McDough, Georgia, scattering stardust and breaking a hole in the roof. Researchers studying at the University of Georgia discovered that this meteorite formed around 4.56 billion years ago, around 20 million years older than the Earth.
Though many meteors reach Earth’s atmosphere, most are quite small and are not large enough to reach Earth’s surface. As they break the atmosphere and travel faster and faster, they burn up and rarely hit the ground. However, this burning rock reached the ground, with many small pieces of rock hitting the roof and making a dent in the floor. A loud booming noise was reported by hundreds of people who saw the meteor burning up in the atmosphere.
“This particular meteor that entered the atmosphere has a long history before it made it to the ground of McDonough,” Scott Harris, a geologist at the University of Georgia, said. This meteorite is, so far, recorded to be the 27th meteor that has landed in Georgia, which is more than usual. Harris, with his team of scientists, determined that this meteorite is called chondrite, a common stony meteorite.
“This is something that used to be expected once every few decades and not multiple times within 20 years,” Harris said. “Modern technology, in addition to an attentive public, is going to help us recover more and more meteorites.” With his research, he discovered that the rock likely came from a large asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Scientists are working together to research and learn more about these meteors and how they reach the surface. With their efforts, they hope to know the origins of the meteors and have knowledge of how to safely prevent them from harming anyone.
https://newsforkids.net/articles/2025/08/14/meteorite-that-hit-house-is-older-than-earth/, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy003l0pw0o
