A 712 gram meteorite crashed through the roof of a house in San Carlos, Maldonado, and also broke a bed and a television.
The family gave the rock to the Faculty of the University of the Republic for the study and weeks after experts determined it was a meteorite.
Gonzalo Tancredi, professor in the Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Science, said in a statement that the incident occurred on the night of September 18 and that “the damage caused were warned by family the next morning when she noticed that the sunlight coming through the broken dolmenit and paneling of the room where it struck “roof.
When the family suspected that it could be a meteorite contacted investigators and gave the rock.
It was found that it is the “first Uruguayan meteorite and one of the few cases in which a meteor through the roof of a house.”
“As of study at the Faculty of Sciences in collaboration with colleagues foreigners could initially classify the meteorite as Rocky Gap type. This is a piece of 712 gr. It is estimated that the rock hit the ceiling at a speed of about 70 m / s (250 km / h), “the statement said.
The experts are still studying the rock to determine its chemical composition and petrological for final classification. “Given the characteristics of the rock, it is expected that it has been part of a larger rock that broke up upon entering the atmosphere. Therefore it is very likely that there are other similar rocks scattered in the vicinity of San Carlos, especially in the area west of the city to a distance of 3-4 km. He became a first search but no new fragment was found, “they add.
The astronomers and geologists Faculty investigating this finding have analyzed more than a dozen rocks from individuals across the country thinking they were meteorites, but so far is the only case in which it is indeed one.
On Wednesday at 11 am there will be a press conference at the Faculty of Science to detail the research and discovery .
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