--- title: "Almost All Meteorites That Hit Earth Are Coming From the Same Three Places, Scientists Discover" description: "Resaerchers found that the vast majority of meteorites pummelling the Earth's atmosphere come from only three different asteroid families." date: "2024-10-23" modified: "2024-10-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/almost-all-meterorites-same-place" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "asteroid belt" - "asteroids" - "earth" - "near-earth objects" - "the digest" --- # Almost All Meteorites That Hit Earth Are Coming From the Same Three Places, Scientists Discover ![Resaerchers found that the vast majority of meteorites pummelling the Earth's atmosphere come from only three different asteroid families.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Origin Story Researchers have found that the vast majority of meteorites that plummet through the Earth's atmosphere [come from only three different asteroid families](), which are groups of space rocks that resulted from the same collision millions of years ago. As detailed in a [paper]() published in the journal *Astronomy and Astrophysics* last month, as well as [two]() [papers]() published last week in the journal *Nature*, an international team of researchers demonstrated that 70 percent of all known meteorites that made it through the atmosphere came from just three young asteroid families. These families — called Karin, Koronos, and Massalia — were formed around five, seven, and 40 million years ago respectively in our solar system's main asteroid belt. Massalia was identified as the source for a whopping 37 percent of the meteorites. In short, it's a stunning commonality that could allow us to trace back the origins of [recently visited asteroids]() and other space rocks that could [pose a threat]() to humans on Earth. ## Asteroid Ancestry Young asteroid families are the result of large collisions, mainly in the asteroid belt. The ensuing fragments can be sent screaming through the solar system at extremely fast speeds. Some of these make their way all the way to Earth, a journey of several hundred million miles. The scientists used computer simulations and a telescopic survey to reveal the ancestry of the majority of these meteorites. Before now, a mere six percent of meteorites were traced back to either the Moon, Mars, or Vesta, one of the largest objects in the solar system's asteroid belt, while the origin of the remaining 94 percent has been a mystery. The researchers claim that the latest research means that the origins of more than 90 percent of meteorites have now been identified. To figure out where the remaining ten percent are coming from, the team is now looking to hone in on other young asteroid families that were formed under 50 million years ago. **More on asteroids:** *[Mysterious "Fifth Force" of Physics Could Be Influencing Asteroids Near Earth]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()