No certainty if strange stone originates from outside the solar system
9 days ago
Researchers from the Department of Geology at the University of Johannesburg have found exotic micro-mineral compounds in the 'Hypatia' stone which are not known to exist on earth.
In 2013 researchers announced that a pebble found in the south-west of Egypt was most certainly not from Earth.
Years later it was discovered the stone was not part of any known types of meteorite or comet, based on noble gas and nuclear probe analyses.
However, if the pebble was not from Earth, what was its origin?
Ray White spoke to Geochemist, Jan Kramers.
It contains more than 70 percent carbon. There is a metallic silver in there and nickel without iron and nickel phosphorus compounds that we have never seen before. That makes it very exotic and very alien.Professor Jan Kramers, Geochemist, at the Paleoproterozoic Mineralization Research Group UJ
We just don't know enough of the outermost solar system to say for sure that this stone would be from outside the solar system. I personally would think from some other data we have that it probably does come from the solar system but from a region that that is very little explored.Professor Jan Kramers, Geochemist, at the Paleoproterozoic Mineralization Research Group
Click on the link below to find out more about the stone...
This article first appeared on 702 : No certainty if strange stone originates from outside the solar system