Science

Australian Team Finds Meteorite Possibly Older than Earth

It’s likely made from material born of the formation of the Solar System.

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A 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite—possibly older than Earth itself—was discovered by Australian geologists on December 31.

Locals in the area of William Creek and Marree in South Australia reported seeing the space rock fall to Earth on November 27—and the fall was also caught by the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) project—a series of cameras placed in the Nullarbor Plain region of South Australia.

It was eventually unearthed, stuck in thick muds created by heavy rain. The 3.7 lb specimen has special value, as it is considered an example of material created during the early formation of the Solar System—most likely traveling to Earth from a point beyond the orbit of Mars.