Field museum research scientist, Maria Valdes, was part of a team that found a rare 17-pound meteorite in Antarctica. The discovery of the meteorite, and four more, was made in December, which is summertime on the continent and a good time of year to hunt for meteorites.
The research team included four international research scientists who were there to explore meteorite sites provided by Université Libre de Bruxelles thesis student Veronica Tollenaar. Tollenaar had mapped new areas using satellite imagery.
According to the Field Museum, the Antarctic continent is prime meteorite hunting grounds because of its dry climate and snow and ice fields that allow meteorites to stand out.
Out of the five meteorites the team discovered during their trek, the 17-lb meteorite is considered rare solely based on its size. According to Valdes, over 45,000 meteorites have been discovered on the Antarctic continent, but only about one hundred or so are as big as this one.
But the size of a meteorite is not necessarily what makes it special, “Size doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to meteorites, and even tiny micrometeorites can be incredibly scientifically valuable,” said Valdes. In fact, the meteorite collection in the Field Museum’s research collection includes samples that are grams of dust.
For now, the 17 lb meteorite will go to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences to be analyzed. Meteorites carry information about the composition and formation of the Solar System, which makes every single one found a key to understanding the universe.
No plans have been officially made yet, but the idea is for the meteorite to travel to various museums, including the Field Museum in Chicago.
