‘METEORITE THAT HIT RAJ COULD SHED LIGHT ON ORIGIN OF LIFE’

A very rare and primitive kind of meteorite that had hit Rajasthan in June 2017 could unravel many mysteries about the early origin of life and provide clues to how the solar system has evolved through billions of years, says a team of scientists from the Geological Survey of India.

“The meteorite belongs to a very rare and primitive group of meteorites called CM group of carbonaceous chondrites. An estimated 44 tonnes of meteoritic material hit the earth every day, but less than 5% of these belong to this group,” said G Vidyasar, additional director of GSI.

The meteorite had hit Mukundpura near Jaipur in Rajasthan in the early morning of June 6, 2017 creating a 6 feet deep crater in an agricultural land. The local police had recovered around 2.2 kilos of the meteorite and handed over to the GSI.

What is of interest to the scientists is that the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, unlike other meteorites, contain very primitive traces of carbon.

“This meteorite could be carrying some of the most pristine primordial matter recovered from space as it is made up of materials which were formed during the early stages of the formation of the solar system,” said Dwijesh Ray a scientist with the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad who has also studied this rock from the space.

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