Experts Confirm It Was 4 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite That Hit Mercer Co. Home

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Experts from The College of New Jersey confirmed Thursday that the object that struck a Hopewell home on Monday was indeed a meteorite.

The team from TCNJ received input from retired meteorite expert Jerry Delaney of Rutgers University and The American Museum of Natural History.

“We are excited to be able to confirm that the object is a true chondrite meteorite, in excellent condition, and one of a very small number of similar witnessed chondrite falls known to science,” said Nathan Magee, chair of TCNJ’s Department of Physics.

“Getting the chance to examine the meteorite yesterday was a rare and thrilling opportunity for me, as well as for a group of physics students and professors at TCNJ.”

According to data from the experts, about 1,100 LL chondrites have ever been found and are known to science; of these, around 100 were witnessed falls.

Experts haven’t been able to confirm the parent-body asteroid origin, but the object is from the main asteroid belt, with an age of around 4.56 billion years. This is fairly close to the formation age of the sun and Earth, and older than any dated rock on Earth.

“It is most likely type LL-6, which means that it is lower in iron than most chondrite meteorites, and has been highly metamorphosed by intense heat even before entering the Earth’s atmosphere,” the team said.

The team came to the conclusion after conducting a visual examination, density measurements, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. More: Experts Prepare To Examine Possible Meteorite That Hit Mercer Home

The total weight of the meteorite is 984 grams (2.2 lbs) and the volume is around 317 cubic centimeters. It has a bulk density of approximately 3.2–3.3 g/cc. That density is in the usual range for chondrite meteorites and significantly greater than most crustal rocks on Earth, experts said.

The meteorite is likely to be named based on the nearest postal address. It could likely be officially dubbed the "Titusville, NJ" meteorite, the experts said.

Based on their findings, the best estimate of landing time is approximately 12:14 p.m. on Monday. The homeowner told experts that the meteorite was still warm when she found it around 12:35 p.m. Several reports of flight streaks and loud noises appear to agree with the timing estimate.

With the initial findings, the Hopewell family can get an advanced isotopic analysis done elsewhere to establish the more precise ages of the mineral components and get more information on the trajectory and timeline of travel from the asteroid belt toward Earth.

On Monday, the object struck the ranch-style home on Old Washington Crossing Pennington Road. It hit the roof, the ceiling and then fell on the hardwood floor. Although the home was occupied at the time, no injuries were reported, police said. More: Possible Meteorite Strikes Mercer County Home: Police

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com