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Health & Science3h 34m ago
A lunar meteorite named NWA 12593 preserves records of three ancient impacts, providing insights into the collision histories of Earth, the Moon, and Vesta.
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Moon, Earth, Vesta, northwest Africa (desert for meteorite discovery)
Who
Carolyn Crow, University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) team, researchers
What
A lunar meteorite named NWA 12593 preserves records of three ancient impacts, providing insights into the collision histories of Earth, the Moon, and Vesta.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:11:15 GMT · 3h 34m ago
Where
Moon, Earth, Vesta, northwest Africa (desert for meteorite discovery) ·
Why
The meteorite holds fingerprints of three separate collisions, with the oldest impact dated to roughly 3.5 billion years ago, aligning with events on Earth and Vesta.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery provides concrete dates for significant asteroid impacts, allowing researchers to better understand the early bombardment of the inner solar system and how early life on Earth survived during that period. It also establishes a three-way match for impact ages across the Moon, Earth, and Vesta, which was previously unconfirmed.
Story chain
5 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 34m agoA lunar meteorite, NWA 12593, contains evidence of three ancient impacts that occurred approximately 3.5 billion years ago, linking collision histories across Earth, the Moon, and Vesta.Open article
- Health & Science3h 34m agoA lunar meteorite named NWA 12593 preserves records of three ancient impacts, linking collision histories across Earth, the Moon, and Vesta.Open article
- Health & Science3h 34m agoA lunar meteorite, NWA 12593, preserves records of three ancient impacts, with the oldest dated to roughly 3.5 billion years ago.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 34m agoA lunar meteorite named NWA 12593 preserves records of three ancient impacts, providing insights into the collision histories of Earth, the Moon, and Vesta.
- Health & Science3h 34m agoA lunar meteorite, NWA 12593, preserves records of three ancient impacts, including one dated roughly 3.5 billion years ago, linking collision histories across Earth, the Moon, and Vesta.Open article