Earth’s First Terrestrial Meteorite? Controversy Swirls Around Report of An Unusual Rock Returned to Earth After Millennia in Space

An extraordinary rock recently found in the Sahara Desert might just be the world’s first known ‘Boomerang Meteorite’ — a rock originating from Earth, journeying through space for thousands of years, only to return back home.

However, this groundbreaking proposition has sparked a scientific debate as the research findings await peer review.

The Incredible Journey of the Boomerang Meteorite

The meteorite, labeled as NWA 13188 and weighing roughly 23 ounces (646 grams), was unearthed in an obscure location within Morocco’s Sahara Desert in 2018 by meteorite hunters. Its discovery has sparked intrigue due to its resemblance to a unique category of volcanic rocks. No one witnessed its fall to Earth, adding an element of mystery to its origins.

A team of scientists, led by Jérôme Gattacceca, a meteoriticist at Aix-Marseille University in France, have put forth a bold claim. They argue that NWA 13188 is not just a typical meteorite, but a terrestrial one, originating from Earth itself. This rock, they believe, was hurled into the cosmos millions of years ago, and has only recently returned home.

Gattacceca presented these findings at an international geochemistry conference in Lyon, France, on July 11.

Though not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, if validated, NWA 13188 could be crowned as Earth’s first confirmed terrestrial meteorite.

Is NWA 13188 a True Boomerang Meteorite?

The basis of this bold claim lies in NWA 13188’s peculiar characteristics. The researchers highlight its ‘well-developed fusion crust’ — a thin layer of heat-shocked rock on its exterior, indicating partial burning up in Earth’s atmosphere. This is not a feature found in regular volcanic rocks on Earth.

Moreover, the team discovered traces of isotopes, including beryllium-3, helium-10, and neon-21, hinting at the rock’s exposure to cosmic rays — high-energy particles zipping through space at near light-speed. The isotopes’ levels suggest that NWA 13188 may have spent a minimum of 10,000 years in space, perhaps even longer.

There are two hypothetical ejection scenarios for this potential boomerang meteorite. One postulates a massive volcanic eruption launching it into space, while the other suggests a gigantic asteroid impact catapulting it out of Earth’s atmosphere.

The latter explanation is deemed more plausible by the researchers, as no known volcanic eruption has ever been powerful enough to launch rocks into space.

However, not all experts are convinced.

Ludovic Ferrière, the curator of the meteorite collection at the Natural History Museum Vienna, expressed “It is an interesting rock.” But “more investigations to be conducted before making extraordinary claims.”

Ascertaining the precise exit and reentry mechanics of this rock, especially without an identified impact crater or age, remains challenging.

However, some scientists suggest that despite the rock’s resemblance to Earth rocks, it could have originated somewhere else in the solar system.

“There’s no doubt that this is a meteorite,” commented Frank Brenker, a geologist from Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, who was not part of the new study.

The real debate is “if it is really from Earth.”

The team of researchers is embarking on a more detailed analysis to ascertain the rock’s exact age and find other hints that could explain its forceful ejection from Earth.

NWA 13188 might become the first recognized boomerang meteorite on Earth, but it doesn’t hold the title of the first potential terrestrial meteor ever detected.

In a 2019 study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, researchers pointed to an unusual piece of lunar rock collected during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.

This rock fragment contained minute pieces of quartz, feldspar, and zircon, all likely terrestrial in origin. The team suggested that this piece of rock might have been blasted from Earth to the Moon when the lunar body was much closer to our planet, billions of years ago.