According to researchers, the Indian continent has a particularly strong history of meteorite falls (with over 450 to date)
According to a research published in the Indian Academy of Sciences peer-reviewed journal Current Science last month, the meteorite that struck Gujarat’s Banaskantha area on August 17 of last year was a rare specimen of an aubrite spotted in India for the first time since 1852.
The aubrite, according to a team of researchers at the Physical Research Laboratory of the space department in Ahmedabad, mostly comprised enstatite, a mineral with properties resembling those of the material supposed to be present on Mercury’s surface.
Coarse-grained igneous rocks called aubrites are produced by very reducing environments or by little to no free oxygen. They include a wide range of rare minerals that are not present on Earth.
At 10 kilometres from Rantila, a meteorite fragment crashed near to Ravel hamlet and made a loud noise. The piece left a tiny crater and damaged the porch’s floor tiles. The fragrance of the meteorite was reported by locals.