Arctic discovery may point the way to South Pole’s “lost meteorites”

Scientists from Manchester University have successfully tested metal detecting technology at the UK NERC Arctic research station in Svalbard. The technology may help find meteorites in Antarctica, which are believed to hold clues about the very earliest days of the solar system, but which have so far escaped detection.

Meteorites, rocky fragments that enter the Earth’s atmosphere and survive to strike the surface (as opposed to meteors, which burn up completely in the atmosphere) are rich in iron. Although Antarctica is liberally littered with rocks, which are easy to find because they stand out against the background of light snow and ice, meteorites are notoriously difficult to find; it is thought that the sun’s rays warm the iron-rich material up more than more mineral-heavy deposits, and that the warm metal melts the surrounding ice, making the meteorites sink and become trapped just below the surface. Because meteorites are often relics from the cloud of debris that formed the sun and planets of the solar system - with iron meteorites particularly valuable because they come from the core of small planets that were destroyed by impacts - they are keenly sought by researchers; the pristine conditions of Antarctica would make them particularly valuable and their elusive nature is a matter of some frustration.