Meteorite that fell in Gujarat in August was a rare aubrite that had not been seen in 170 years

According to researchers, the Indian subcontinent has an outstanding record of meteorite falls (with over 450 to date)

According to a research published last month in the Indian Academy of Sciences peer-reviewed journal Current Science, the meteorite that landed in Gujarat’s Banaskantha region on August 17, last year was a rare example of an aubrite spotted in India for the first time since 1852.

A group of experts from the space department’s Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad discovered the aubrite mostly included enstatite, a mineral with properties comparable to what is assumed to be on the surface of Mercury.

According to the report, the Indian subcontinent has an extraordinary record of meteorite falls (with over 450 to date). The latest aubrite fall in India was reported in 1852 in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the experts, aubrites are unusual meteorites that formed in the solar system from a very reduced differentiated parent body.

Aubrites are coarse-grained igneous rocks that occur under severely reducing circumstances or when there is little or no free oxygen. They are rich in unique minerals that are not found on Earth.

“The comparable and unique properties of extremely reducing circumstances on the surface of planet Mercury and aubrite frequently imply that enstatite meteorites are the probable petrologic and geochemical analogues of planet Mercury, even if we do not have any known Mercurian samples in our collection. As a result, “this uncommon meteorite not only enriches the existing meteoritic database but will be significant for understanding planetary dynamics in the future,” according to the research.

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The meteorite’s fall was recorded by residents of Banaskantha’s Rantila hamlet. One of them reported hearing a loud sound comparable to a jet aircraft going overhead. The asteroid smashed into many shards after colliding with a neem tree limb. The people gathered its fragments, the biggest weighing roughly 200 gramme.

A meteorite piece crashed in Ravel hamlet, around 10 kilometres from Rantila, making a tremendous boom. The particle shattered the floor tiles of a porch, leaving a tiny crater. Residents said that the meteorite had a very smelly odour.