A meteorite fragment that tore through the roof of a Georgia home last June has been found to be older than Earth itself, according to scientists at the University of Georgia.
A meteorite fragment that ripped through the roof of a Georgia home last June has been confirmed to be older than our planet itself. Researchers at the University of Georgia have traced its origins back 4.56 billion years — predating Earth’s own formation by roughly 20 million years. Geologist Scott Harris told Fox News Digital that the rock hailed from the vast asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. “It’s essentially a relic from the dawn of our solar system,” Harris noted, describing it as a time capsule forged in the crucible of creation.
On June 26, stunned residents near Atlanta reported a brilliant fireball blazing, before the meteorite slammed into a suburban home. Harris was swiftly called to the scene, where he traced the celestial intruder’s violent journey:
A clean hole through the roof and an air duct
Penetration through insulation and the ceiling
Impact with the floor, leaving a crater the size of a large cherry tomato
The strike was so fierce that a portion of the rock disintegrated instantly — “like somebody hitting it with a sledgehammer,” Harris explained. In its final moments, the meteorite briefly broke the sound barrier before crashing itself in the house.
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A Cosmic Warning
Though its modest size spared the homeowners from danger, Harris stressed the scientific urgency of studying such falls. Each meteorite offers vital clues about the physics of space travel and atmospheric entry, knowledge that could one day avert disaster.
He cited NASA’s groundbreaking DART mission, in which a spacecraft successfully nudged an asteroid off its trajectory through a high-speed collision. “If you move an asteroid early enough, you can get it to avoid us altogether,” Harris said, underscoring the importance of planetary defence initiatives.