{"id":230619,"date":"2026-06-11T18:15:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T18:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-young-planet-near-earth-was-destroyed-before-it-fully-formed-and-weve-discovered-a-piece-in-the-sahara\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T18:15:51","slug":"a-young-planet-near-earth-was-destroyed-before-it-fully-formed-and-weve-discovered-a-piece-in-the-sahara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-young-planet-near-earth-was-destroyed-before-it-fully-formed-and-weve-discovered-a-piece-in-the-sahara\/","title":{"rendered":"A Young Planet Near Earth Was Destroyed Before It Fully Formed, and We’ve Discovered a Piece in the Sahara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Discovery of NWA 12774: A Lost Piece of a Protoplanet<\/h2>\n

According to estimates based on fireball tracking, approximately 17,000 meteorites<\/strong> fall to Earth each year, yet only a small fraction of these are recovered. Currently, there are around 80,000 registered meteorites worldwide<\/strong>. However, this number likely underrepresents the total, as many meteorites remain unaccounted for, often stored in drawers or dismissed as ordinary stones. Each meteorite possesses invaluable information about our planet and its cosmic neighbors, making these findings exceptionally significant. <\/p>\n

The Significance of NWA 12774<\/h3>\n

One noteworthy example is NWA 12774<\/strong>, a fragment found in 2019<\/strong> in the Sahara Desert. Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder<\/a> conducted in-depth analyses of this meteorite, unraveling fascinating details about the early Solar System. The meteorite is believed to stem from a protoplanet\u2014an early stage of a planet comparable in size to the Moon or Mars\u2014 which fragmented approximately 4.5 billion years ago<\/strong>, potentially due to a collision with another celestial body.<\/p>\n

Understanding the Composition<\/h3>\n

The Nature of Angrites<\/h4>\n

Initial investigations revealed that NWA 12774 is an angrite<\/strong>, a rare meteorite type. Of the 80,000 registered meteorites, only 68<\/strong> have been classified as angrites, making them highly special due to their low silica content\u2014a mineral that is commonly found on rocky planets like Earth. Initial theories classified angrites as fragments from asteroids, but NWA 12774 presents an even more intriguing case.<\/p>\n

Unique Mineral Content<\/h4>\n

This meteorite also contains clinopyroxene<\/strong>, a common crystal found in Earth\u2019s crust. What sets it apart is the presence of CaTs forms<\/strong>\u2014a variant of clinopyroxene formed under immense pressure. The analysis shows that for such a quantity of CaTs to exist, an extraordinary pressure of 17.5 kilobars<\/strong> would be necessary, a condition not typically found in asteroids.<\/p>\n

The Origins of NWA 12774<\/h3>\n

Large Protoplanetary Body<\/h4>\n

Further computational reconstructions suggest that the original body from which the meteorite came would need to be immense, possibly measuring around 3,600 kilometers<\/strong> in diameter\u2014similar to the Moon. In some estimates, this protoplanet could even rival Mars in size. <\/p>\n

Signs of Immense Pressure<\/h4>\n

NWA 12774’s sharp edges and distinct chemical patterns indicate that it could not have formed at significant depths within its parent body. Instead, the characteristics suggest a relatively shallow formation in relation to an enormous protoplanet. This insight underscores the complexity surrounding the early composition of rocky planets, hinting at differences that existed before Earth\u2019s formation. <\/p>\n

Implications for Planetary Science<\/h3>\n

Protoplanets are pivotal to understanding planetary evolution, as they must collide and accumulate material to become fully formed planets. The evidence gleaned from NWA 12774 indicates that early rocky planets likely had compositions quite different from today\u2019s Earth. The implications of this discovery are profound, highlighting the need for further investigations into meteorites to enhance our grasp of formative planetary processes.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

NWA 12774 not only enriches our understanding of the early Solar System but also raises questions about other meteorites that may hold similar secrets. As researchers continue to sift through abandoned collections for more fragments like NWA 12774, it becomes increasingly important to recognize the potential these meteorites have for shedding light on our cosmic history.<\/p>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Discovery of NWA 12774: A Lost Piece of a Protoplanet According to estimates based on fireball tracking, approximately 17,000 meteorites fall to Earth each year, yet only a small fraction of these are recovered. Currently, there are around 80,000 registered meteorites worldwide. However, this number likely underrepresents the total, as many meteorites remain unaccounted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":230620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[544,4180,5142,31858,9101,6362,9623,11866,10731,129],"class_list":["post-230619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-destroyed","tag-discovered","tag-earth","tag-formed","tag-fully","tag-piece","tag-planet","tag-sahara","tag-weve","tag-young"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230621,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230619\/revisions\/230621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}