Scientists mine ‘star scar’ in France:

Scientists mine ‘star scar’ in France:

Context:

• An astrobleme was made by a massive space rock that crash-landed more than 200 million years ago in Rochechouart , has intrigued scientists since its discovery in the 19th century.

What is an Astrobleme?

• An astrobleme, literally means ‘star scar’
• It is the name given to traces left by a major meteorite impact.

What is the significance of this Astrobleme?

• The astrobleme in Rochechouart is unusually close to the surface, making it easier to study.
• The drilling, scheduled through November, will yield 20 core samples.
• Some scientists hope to tease out remaining mysteries about how such meteorites form, and what that might tell us about their evolution in space.
• Others are on the hunt for chemical traces that could shed light on the emergence of life on Earth, and which of the raw ingredients essential for life came from space.
• Geologists are curious about how such a cataclysmic impact might have released water held within rock formations.
• While palaeontologists are looking at how an event that could destroy life, at the same time, creates conditions for new lifeforms to emerge.