The world witnessed a unique celestial event in 2019 when a meteorite fell near Aguas Zarcas, Costa Rica.
With 27 kilograms of recovered rock, this was one of the largest meteorite falls of its kind since a similar type of meteorite fell in Australia in 1969.
The Aguas Zarcas meteorite has sparked immense interest among scientists. So far, around 26 research papers have been published about it, as revealed by geologist Gerardo Soto of the University of Costa Rica, San José.
Astronomer Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center collaborated with geologist Gerardo Soto to investigate the meteorite’s fall.
Researchers were surprised by the meteorite’s entry into Earth's atmosphere. Despite the huge pressure and heat, only a small portion of the rock broke apart.
The Aguas Zarcas meteorite belongs to the "mudball" category - a term used to describe meteorites that contain a huge amount of water-rich minerals. Typically, mudball meteorites are fragile and break apart upon entering Earth’s atmosphere. However, Aguas Zarcas defied expectations, proving that it's not like other once
The reason behind Aguas Zarcas's strength is attributed to its lack of collisions in space. Unlike other mudball meteorites, it does not have the cracks, that weaken its structures. “The last collision experienced by this rock was two million years ago,” said Welten.
From the research conducted, they have traced the origins of meteorites back to the asteroid belt, a region located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.