Big Fire Balls! Flaming meteorites from the outer regions of the solar system sparked life on Earth 4.6 billion years ago
Large fireballs from the outer regions of the solar system brought the building blocks of life to Earth 4.6 billion years ago, a new study shows.
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Imperial College London found that these ancient meteorites contained carbonaceous chondrite, made up of potassium and zinc.
Potassium helps in the production of cellular fluids, while zinc is vital in the formation of DNA.
The team found that these space rocks accounted for 10 percent of the space rocks that impacted the planet during its birth.
The other 90 percent came from the non-carbonaceous (NC) material of the inner solar system.
Life on Earth was sparked by fireballs that collided with the newborn planet 4.6 billion years ago
“Our studies complement and confirm each other’s findings in many ways,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Nicole Nie, opposite SWS.
“Among the moderately volatile elements, potassium is the least volatile, while zinc is one of the most volatile elements.”
The meteorites provided 20 percent of Earth’s potassium and half of its zinc.
Both are considered volatile substances, which are elements or compounds that change from a solid or liquid state to a vapor at relatively low temperatures.
Lead author Professor Mark Rehkamper, from Imperial College London’s Department of Earth Science and Engineering, said in a statement: “Our data show that about half of Earth’s zinc supply was supplied by material from the outer solar system beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
“Based on current models of the early evolution of the solar system, this was completely unexpected.”
Previous research suggested that Earth was formed almost entirely from material from the interior of the solar system, which researchers concluded was the predominant source of Earth’s volatile chemicals.
However, the new study provides the first evidence that Earth was formed in part from carbonaceous meteorites from asteroids in the outer main belt.
“This contribution of outer solar system material played a critical role in compiling Earth’s inventory of volatile chemicals,” Rehkamper said.
“It appears that without the contribution of material from the outer solar system, Earth would have a much lower amount of volatile matter than we know today – making it drier and possibly unable to support and sustain life.”
The team analyzed 18 meteorites, 11 from the inner region and the rest from the outer regions.
The meteorites contained potassium and zinc and came from the outer regions of the solar system
And then they measured the relative abundances of the five different forms of zinc — or isotopes.
They then compared each isotopic fingerprint to samples of soil to estimate how much those materials contributed to Earth’s zinc inventory, showing that the Earth was made up of only about 10 percent of its mass from carbonaceous bodies.
The researchers found that material with a high concentration of zinc and other volatile compounds is also likely to be relatively common in the water, giving clues as to where the water came from on Earth.