In the rugged hills of Scotland , scientists have stumbled across something absolutely out - of - this - humans : the wallop website of 60 - million - year - old meteorite and mineral course never report on Earth before .
Geologists discovered two meteorite clangoring sites at the base of a 60 - million - twelvemonth - old lava flow on the Isle of Skye off the northwest slide of Scotland . " We thought it was an ignimbrite ( a volcanic flow depositary ) , " result author Simon Drake , an associate lecturer in geology at Birkbeck University of London , said ina assertion .
However , they carried out analysis of the rocks using electron microprobe that break the presence of vanadium - rich and niobium - rich osbornite , rare minerals straight from knocked out blank space that ever never been seen in this form on Earth before . We do know about these mineral signifier , however , from the work carry by NASA ’s Stardust ballistic capsule mission to gain space dust flinging off from the comet 81P / Wild 2 comet . They also discover traces of reidite , a rarefied mineral only previously known from just three meteorite impact , as well as other alien mineralogy linked to impacts such as barringerite and aboriginal smoothing iron .
According to their study , published in the journalGeologythis week , the two meteorites must have struck somewhere between 60 million and 61.4 million days ago , base on the years of the overlying lava menstruation and the geology below the encroachment situation .
There are still many query to answer , however . For one , was the barrage of lava related to the meteorite site ? Furthermore , scientists are not even 100 pct sealed about the exact impact site of the meteorite .
The Isle of Skye is pretty well known to geologists contemplate foreign mineralogy , making this discovery all the more surprising . However , the researcher observe that the nearby arena is surrounded by an unpleasant bog , make it relatively hard to get through .
“ We were lapse in up to our thigh . I clearly recall enjoin to [ the study ’s atomic number 27 - author]Andy Beard , ' this had better be deserving it , ' " says Drake .
" It was worth it . "
