Calling all Munro-baggers: a historic meteorite hunt is underway
Hillwalkers across the Scottish Highlands are being urged to keep an eye out for fragments of a meteor that lit up the skies over Scotland earlier this year.
In the early hours of 3 July, a meteor exploded as it entered the atmosphere over the north of the country. The fireball it created quickly went viral on social media, with people sharing videos of the celestial event captured on their phones and home security cameras.
Researchers from the UK Fireball Alliance (UKFAll) have combined public videos with data from their dedicated meteor tracking cameras, including the Global Meteor Network and the UK Meteor Network, to reconstruct the meteor’s path. Their analysis suggests that fragments of the rock are scattered across a 20 kilometre area of the Highlands. They believe smaller pieces, up to 100 grams, were dropped to the west across Stob Coire, Easain, and Chno Dearg, while larger chunks, some weighing up to 10 kilograms, likely fell over Ben Alder.
The team, which recently included 14 volunteers from universities across Scotland and England, had their initial search efforts cut short by bad weather. With the clock ticking, they are now turning to the public for help. If a hiker is lucky enough to find a piece, it would be the first time in more than a century that a meteorite has been successfully recovered in Scotland.
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How to spot a meteorite
Professor Luke Daly from the University of Glasgow’s School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, who led the 2021 recovery of the Winchcombe meteorite, emphasises the importance of a swift recovery. ‘Meteorites are time capsules of the early Solar System,’ he explains. ‘The longer they sit on the Scottish hills, the more they will be weathered, and the less we’ll be able to learn about their composition.’
So, what should you look for? According to Dr. Aine O’Brien, also of the University of Glasgow, you should be on the lookout for rocks that ‘stand out from everything around them. Meteorites are black and shiny with an almost glassy appearance, and they are heavy for their size. Since it could be about 30 per cent iron, it may also look slightly rusty after all the rain we’ve had recently.’
What to do if you find one
If you think you’ve found a meteorite, there are a few crucial steps to take:
- Note the location. Use your phone or a GPS device to record the precise coordinates of the find. This information is vital for researchers.
- Take a photo. Get a good picture of the meteorite in its original location before you move it.
- Do not handle it directly. The best way to preserve the sample is to wrap it in aluminium foil or a clean sandwich bag. This prevents contamination from oils on your skin and the surrounding environment.
- Contact the UK Fireball Alliance. You can submit a report through the UKFAll website. If the meteorite is too big to carry, the GPS location will help the recovery team locate it later.
Secrets from space
Meteorites are far more than just space rocks; they hold secrets of our solar system’s formation and, by extension, our own planet’s history. By studying them, scientists have estimated the Earth’s age to be approximately 4.54 billion years – a figure determined by dating tiny calcium and aluminium specks found in meteorites, which are among the oldest known solids in the solar system.
Even more remarkably, meteorites have provided clues about the origins of life itself. Primitive, carbon-rich meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites contain essential organic compounds like amino acids and even sugars, which are the fundamental building blocks of DNA and RNA. This discovery supports the idea that extra-terrestrial bodies may have delivered the crucial ingredients for life to a young, barren Earth. It’s also believed that meteorites and icy comets played a significant role in bringing the water that now fills our oceans, helping to transform our planet into the habitable world it is today.
