A small meteorite from Africa has challenged scientists’ long-held understanding of how our Solar System formed. The Northwest Africa 12264 meteorite, which contains fragments weighing just 50 grams, suggests that rocky planets in the inner and outer regions of the Solar System formed simultaneously, around 4.564 billion years ago.
Contrary to previous theories, researchers believe that planets closer to the Sun did not form earlier than those beyond the asteroid belt. Instead, a study published in Communications Earth & Environment found that both inner and outer protoplanets formed at the same time.
The meteorite’s chemical composition, which included a higher-than-expected level of chromium, led scientists to conclude it originated from the outer Solar System. Further analysis revealed that the meteorite was approximately 4.564 billion years old – close in age to similar rocks found in the inner Solar System.
This new discovery has significant implications for our understanding of planetary formation and could potentially alter our current theories about how planets came to be in our cosmic neighborhood.
Source: https://universemagazine.com/en/african-meteorite-casts-doubt-on-the-chronology-of-the-formation-of-the-solar-system