Scientists have discovered possible aerodynamically formed impact spherules in the Ramgarh crater in Rajasthan. The discovery strongly suggests that an iron meteorite struck Rajasthan about 165 million years ago.

New Delhi: Scientists have discovered small, round magnetic particles in the soil inside the Ramgarh crater in India’s Rajasthan state. These spheres appear to be formed by the friction of the air during flight, resembling water droplets that melt and fly off due to large impacts. The crater is 2.4 km wide and sits in ancient sedimentary rocks that are more than 1 billion years old. There are obvious signs of an asteroid impact, such as cracked cones in the rock and trace lines in the sand grains caused by shock waves.

Scientists had previously found magnetic, glassy chunks in the soil near and inside the crater, including traces of the metals iron, cobalt, and nickel. This suggests that the asteroid is made of iron. in new researchThe researchers dug trenches up to a meter deep near the crater’s raised center and half way around its rim. They collected soil samples, dried them, used a magnet to extract the magnetic particles, and examined them under a microscope. The particles are less than 1 millimeter in diameter, circular or nearly circular, black and glassy, ​​with holes in the surface. They resemble small glass spheres formed by collisions elsewhere.

Fragments of a world lost long ago

Tests showed that these particles mainly contained silicon, iron, and nickel. Iron levels range from 10 to 75 percent and nickel up to 25 percent. One large particle had iron-rich regions with small amounts of nickel. Local rocks contain little iron or nickel, so these elements may have come from the asteroid itself. New research supports the idea that an iron-rich meteorite caused the crater and, as it flew through the air, material was melted, sprayed, and cooled into particles shaped like this.

The discovery has compelling evidence that Ramgarh is an impact crater, and points to an iron meteorite as the cause. Scientists continue to study this substance to obtain further details. Most asteroids are loose collections of rocks known as debris piles. These metallic asteroids are predicted to be the core fragments of long-lost differentiated worlds that were shattered during the solar system’s chaotic early years. High concentrations of metals such as iron and nickel form only in the world’s differentiated core, mantle, and crust. Asteroid Psyche is one such metallic asteroid.