Click on image for larger view. When a large chunk of interplanetary debris exploded in the early morning sky over western Canada on January 18th, it did more than rattle the residents below and leave a lingering, smoky trail high in the atmosphere. The event also dropped a cluster of dark meteorites on the region s frozen, snow-covered surface. Although the discoverer remains anonymous, he has allowed the Canadian government to let NASA scientists conduct the first analyses. Only about 2 percent of all known meteorites are of this type, because the crumbly rock is easily destroyed during atmospheric entry or by erosion once on the ground.
Scientists are especially ecstatic over the stones quick recovery and handling by the discoverer.
The Yukon meteorite made its public debut yesterday at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas. It s been more than three decades since carbonaceous chondrites like this one were discovered after falling to Earth. Those finds, Murchison in Australia and Allende in Mexico, revolutionized knowledge about the primordial solar system, and meteorite researchers are understandably eager to study the new arrival. For details and additional photographs, see the online press release . Boulders can be seen in several of the craters.