A meteorite fragment that smashed through the roof of a Georgia home last June has been identified as older than Earth itself, according to researchers at the University of Georgia.
#WATCH: A geologist confirms that a meteorite fragment that crashed through a man’s roof in Henry County, Georgia, is older than Earth itself. #Meteorite #Georgia #Earth #HenryCounty #USA #UnitedStates #Trending #trendingvideo pic.twitter.com/s6CgVtrwvT
— LoudFact (@loudfactcom) August 10, 2025
Asteroid Belt Origin Revealed
Geologist Scott Harris told Fox News Digital that the meteorite, which fell on June 26 near Atlanta, originated from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Analysis revealed the rock formed 4.56 billion years ago — slightly predating the Earth’s own estimated age of 4.54 billion years.
A Fiery Descent Over Georgia
Eyewitnesses described seeing a bright fireball blazing across the sky before impact. Harris was called to investigate and documented the meteorite’s destructive path:
- A clean hole through the home’s roof and an air duct
- Penetration through insulation and the ceiling
- Impact with the floor, leaving a crater the size of a large cherry tomato
The rock struck with such force that part of it was pulverized,
“like somebody hitting it with a sledgehammer,” Harris said.
He noted that the fragment even briefly broke the sound barrier before crashing into the home.
No Immediate Danger, But a Cosmic Warning
While this particular meteorite posed no danger to the residents, Harris stressed that studying such falls is essential for planetary defense.
Understanding how meteorites travel through space and survive Earth’s atmosphere could help scientists predict and prevent catastrophic impacts.
Harris pointed to NASA’s DART mission — which successfully altered the path of an asteroid via kinetic impact — as proof that early intervention is possible.
“If you move an asteroid early enough, you can get it to avoid us altogether,” Harris said.
