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[The CIVIS Newsroom ](https://civis.eu/es/the-civis-newsroom) 2. The origin of most meteorites finally revealed by amU researchers The origin of most meteorites finally revealed by amU researchers =================================================================== CIVIS Highlights 29 de octubre de 2024 Understanding where shooting stars and meteorites come from is a question that scientists have been trying to answer since ancient times. This question is at the heart of the research of Aix Marseille Université’s Origins Institute, whose researchers study planets formation and the emergence of life on Earth. Thus, an international team of researchers led by Pierre Vernazza, CNRS researcher at the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory, has successfully demonstrated that 70% of all known meteorite falls originate from just three young asteroid families. ![](/storage/files/pic-1-meteorite-san-juan129-b1.jpg)Ordinary chondrite (H group) San Juan 029 / © Jérôme Gattacceca, CNRS, CEREGE While more than 70,000 meteorites are known nowadays, only 6% were clearly identified by their composition as coming from the Moon, Mars, or Vesta - one of the largest asteroids in the main belt. The source of the other 94% of meteorites remained unidentified by now, when researchers from France, Czech Republic and the European Southern Observatory revealed that 70% of all known meteorite falls originate from three young asteroid families: Karin, Koronis and Massalia. These families were formed by collisions in the main asteroid belt 5.8, 7.5 and about 40 million years ago. The Massalia family, in particular, has been identified as the source of 37% of known meteorites. The study was just published in [*Nature*](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03051-8). Why are these three young families the source of so many meteorites? -------------------------------------------------------------------- This can be explained by the life cycle of asteroid families. Young families are characterised by an abundance of small fragments left over from collisions. This abundance increases the risk of collisions between fragments and, coupled with their high mobility, their escape from the belt, possibly in the direction of Earth. The asteroid families produced by older collisions, on the other hand, are sources of meteorites. The abundance of small fragments that once made them up has naturally eroded and finally disappeared after tens of millions of years of successive collisions and their dynamic evolution. Karin, Koronis and Massalia will inevitably coexist with new sources of meteorites from more recent collisions and eventually give way to them. This historic discovery was made possible by a telescopic survey of the composition of all the major asteroid families in the main belt, combined with state-of-the-art computer simulations of the collisional and dynamical evolution of these major families. ![](/storage/files/picture-2-meteorite-el-medano128.jpg)Meteorite El Médano 128, ordinary chondrite (group L) / © Jérôme Gattacceca, CNRS, CEREGE. This approach has been extended to all meteorite families, revealing the primary sources of the carbonaceous chondrites and achondrites, which come in addition to those from the Moon, Mars, and Vesta. The small bodies from which the meteorites originated formed the building blocks from which today planets were created. They therefore participated in the chain of reactions that led to the appearance of life on Earth. Tracing the origin of kilometre-sized asteroids threatening life on Earth ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to this research, the origin of more than 90% of meteorites has now been identified. It has also enabled scientists to trace the origin of kilometre-sized asteroids (a size that threatens life on Earth). These objects are the focus of many space missions (NEAR Shoemaker, Hayabusa1, Chang'E 2, Hayabusa2, OSIRIS-Rex, DART, Hera, etc.). The origin of the remaining 10% of known meteorites is still unknown. To remedy this, the team plans to continue their research, this time focusing on characterising all young families that were formed less than 50 million years ago. **More details available in the** [**original story, in French**](https://infuse.univ-amu.fr/fr/decouvertes/a-lorigine-meteorites-massalia-a-jamais-premiers)**.** ### Other Highlights this month: [*Physical activity reduces mortality associated with poor sleep patterns in older adults, UAM study shows*](https://civis.eu/en/get-informed/news/physical-activity-reduces-mortality-associated-with-poor-sleep-patterns-in-older-adults-uam-study-shows) [*"Ensuring uninterrupted power supply to medical services in remote areas" - engineering ULB student project in Cambodia*](https://civis.eu/en/get-informed/news/ulb-students-develop-project-ensure-reliable-power-remote-cambodian-medical-services) [*Study finds preference for consonant sounds linked to social signal vocal production in Humans and Animals*](https://civis.eu/en/get-informed/news/study-finds-preference-for-consonant-sounds-linked-to-social-signal-vocal-production-in-humans-and-animals) [*Early-Career researchers called to pitch innovative research projects to UNIL*](https://civis.eu/en/get-informed/news/early-career-researchers-called-to-pitch-innovative-research-projects-to-unil) [*Unveiling the Past: 2 million aerial photos from 60 Countries offer fresh insights into 20th Century History*](https://civis.eu/en/get-informed/news/unveiling-the-past-2-million-aerial-photos-from-60-countries-offer-fresh-insights-into-20th-century-history) Related news ------------ - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/post-it-risks-800x600.jpg?token=3f32ba7f3ab0220e88eeac41defdd8bf)Innovative micro-credential for professionals on AI for the workplace launched by CIVIS Learn 10 de febrero de 2026 ](https://civis.eu/es/the-civis-newsroom/civis-micro-credentials-ai-and-work-supporting-teams-through-change) - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/pic-1-2-800x600.jpg?token=69133e274895176008d204580e76b040)Astronomers discover a superheated star factory in the early universe CIVIS Highlights 16 de diciembre de 2025 ](https://civis.eu/es/the-civis-newsroom/astronomers-discover-a-superheated-star-factory-in-the-early-universe) - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/amu-science-art-festiva-800x600.jpg?token=cde16a037d61b3a176432e0622b52977)The links between science and beliefs, debated at the amU' Science and Arts Festival 2025 CIVIS Highlights 26 de noviembre de 2025 ](https://civis.eu/es/the-civis-newsroom/the-links-between-science-and-beliefs-debated-at-the-amu-science-and-arts-festival-2025) [Descubra todas nuestras historias](https://civis.eu/es/the-civis-newsroom) [ NKUA and Google to collaborate in the field of Artificial Intelligence ](< https://civis.eu/es/the-civis-newsroom/nkua-google-collaborate-artificial-intelligence >) [ Physical activity reduces mortality associated with poor sleep patterns in older adults, UAM study shows ](< https://civis.eu/es/the-civis-newsroom/physical-activity-reduces-mortality-associated-with-poor-sleep-patterns-in-older-adults-uam-study-shows >) ![CIVIS – Europe’s Civic University Alliance](https://civis.eu/build/assets/civis-CCpvK1nT.svg) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe’s Civic University Alliance ![Co-funded by the European Union](https://civis.eu/build/assets/co-funded-by-the-european-union-DSKLW1us.png)Views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 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