Antarctica Holds More than 60% of the World’s Meteorites, but Warming Could Make Thousands Disappear Into the Ice

Antarctica holds more than 60% of the world’s meteorites, but warming could make thousands disappear into the ice

Antarctic meteorites face significant loss due to climate warming. Warming ice causes meteorites to sink and become inaccessible. Researchers estimate thousands are lost annually, with substantial future losses projected. These extraterrestrial samples offer vital insights into our Solar System's history. Urgent action is needed to preserve these unique scientific resources.

More than 60 percent of all meteorites ever found on Earth came from Antarctica — not because more fall there, but because its ice sheets slowly concentrate hundreds of thousands of years' worth of space rocks into exposed blue-ice fields where they sit waiting to be found.

A black stone on Antarctic ice may have travelled twice before anyone picks it up. First it crossed space and survived a plunge through Earth’s atmosphere. Then, after snowfall buried it, the ice sheet carried it slowly across the continent until wind, sublimation and the shape of the land brought it back to daylight. That second journey explains an extraordinary imbalance in the world’s meteorite collections. More than 60 percent of meteorite f…