Meteorite That Smashed Into Georgia House Was Likely 4.56 Billion Years Old

Several meteorites collected from Henry County, Georgia, have been tentatively identified as being from a major asteroid belt collision. If correct, this would make them among the oldest Solar System fragments, quite likely dating from before the Earth formed.

On June 26, a fireball was spotted over Atlanta, Georgia, despite competing with the light of the Sun in the daytime sky. The incoming object fragmented in the atmosphere with several components large enough to make it to ground without burning up.

Based on the composition of the pieces and what is known about the trajectory of the object, scientists have identified its suspected origins, although this has yet to be published for peer review.

“This particular meteor that entered the atmosphere has a long history before it made it