HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — The University of Georgia has identified and named a meteorite that crash-landed in a Georgia residence as the McDonough Meteorite, estimated to be over 4.56 billion years old.
The meteorite, which made a dramatic entry into Earth’s atmosphere on June 26, tore through a residential roof in Henry County, Georgia, before being handed over to UGA researchers for analysis.
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“This particular meteor that entered the atmosphere has a long history before it made it to the ground of McDonough,” said Scott Harris, a researcher in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ department of geology.
The meteorite, classified as a Low Metal (L) ordinary Chondrite, is believed to have formed in the presence of oxygen, making it older than Earth itself.
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Harris explained that the meteorite belongs to a group of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, linked to a breakup of a larger asteroid about 470 million years ago.
The meteorite caused significant damage to the Henry County home, penetrating the roof, HVAC duct, and leaving a dent in the floor.
UGA received 23 grams of the meteorite for analysis, and the findings will be submitted to the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society.
Additional pieces of the meteorite will be displayed at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville.
The McDonough Meteorite’s discovery and analysis provide valuable insights into the history of asteroids and the potential impact of larger space rocks on Earth.
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