Researchers Claim There Is Are Several Undetected Iron Meteorites in Antarctica Using an Intriguing Method

Researchers claim that a layer of iron meteorites is hidden beneath Antractica's ice sheet. This assertion was made on the back of an intriguing method applied by Geoffrey Evatt, Senior Lecturer of Applied Mathematics from The University of Manchester, stated Live Science. The proclamation regarding iron meteorites has taken the scientific community by storm because these kinds of substances, help experts in figuring out how planets formed their core. The proceedings by which researchers reached their conclusion have been published in The Meteorite Hunters: On the Trail of Extraterrestrial Treasures and the Secrets Inside Them by Joshua Howgego by Oneworld Publications.

The examination began when researchers looked into the amount of iron meteorites found in Antarctica. Their records showcased, that only 0.7% of the meteorites found in this region were iron or stony iron. Such a low number, caused Evatt to think that these meteorites may be hiding somewhere in Antarctica, and are yet to be detected. He speculated that the iron meteorites could be below the ice sheet. He shared this idea with Katie Joy, a Professor of Lunar and Planetary Science at the same University as him.

Both of them formulated a theory, regarding these missing iron meteorites. They postulated that since iron meteorites are dark or black, they have the capability of absorbing more heat compared to lighter-colored stony rocks. According to the duo, the iron meteorites are possibly absorbing so much heat, that the glacial ice underneath them starts melting. This in turn causes it to submerge within the sheets, likely going so down that they become hidden below the surface. Evatt created a mathematical model, to calculate values of temperature and absorption, and they aligned with his and Joy's theory.

To check the theory out practically, the duo put into use a simple method involving a block of ice, a lamp, a freezer, and some real meteorites. They collaborated with Andrew Smedley, another researcher from the University of Manchester and an expert on sunlight and its effect on materials, as well as some students for this exercise. They took two meteorites, one stony and another iron, of the same size and froze them. The freezing occurred in ice cubes, to ensure there were no air bubbles, and the condition was akin to glacier ice. Both were then put into the walk-in freezer. A special lamp was arranged, which mimicked the spectrum of sunlight and was shone on the ice cubes. 

The team observed that both the meteorites sank because of melting, but the pace at which iron meteorites went down was much more than the other. Precisely the rate of descending was 2.4 millimeters per hour, twice the rate of stony meteorites. Seeing this exercise, researchers claimed that when ice-containing iron meteorites get forced upwards due to mountain bedrock, they absorb sunlight and sink even lower into the glacier. Stony meteorites also undergo the same phenomenon, but the moving glacier manages to push them upwards because of the slow pace. These findings made experts think that several iron meteorites are possibly lying underneath Antarctica's icy sheets, undetected by humans. At present, Evatt and Joy are in the pursuit of searching for these buried rocks, snowmobile reconnaissance, and systematic searching, as per a study published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science.