Achondrites are types of meteorites that were once part of a protoplanet. The planet they once were
To date, found and studied allseveral thousand achondrites, most of which are basaltic. The new achondrite, called EC 002, is distinguished by its characteristics. In a new study, scientists have found that it is composed primarily of volcanic rock. This makes it andesite, a rock rich in sodium, iron and magnesium. On Earth, andesite is usually found in a subduction zone, suggesting that EC 002 originated from the crust of a very early protoplanet. The age of the rock is 4.6 billion years. Researchers have dated achondrite by studying the isotopes of magnesium and aluminum.
Additional research on the breed showed thatit took about 100 thousand years to cool and solidify. It appears that such materials were likely common on protoplanets in the early Solar System. However, the sample itself is considered a very rare find; no other similar sample has been found on Earth. It is also the oldest magnetic rock ever observed.
The researchers speculate that a closer look at achondrite may lead to a better understanding of how planets form.
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Basalt is an igneous volcanic rock of the basic composition of the normal alkalinity series from the basalt family.
Subduction zone - linear zone at the borderlithospheric plates, along which some blocks of the earth's crust sink under others. Most often, the heavier and thinner oceanic crust in them moves under the edge of the continent or under the island arc, plunging into the mantle.