Experts have cast doubt on a woman’s claim that she was struck by a meteorite, suggesting that she may have been hit by a regular Earth rock instead. The incident occurred in Schirmeck, north-eastern France, while the woman was enjoying a coffee with her friend on her home’s terrace. She felt a shock in her ribs, which she initially attributed to an animal or bat. However, upon closer inspection, she discovered a golf ball-sized rock that did not match the color of a roof tile. She took the rock to local geologist Dr Thierry Rebmann, who identified it as a meteorite based on its iron and silicon content and signs of extreme heating.
However, other experts have raised objections to this claim. Astronomer Jeremie Vaubaillon from the Observatoire de Paris stated that pictures of the rock clearly indicated that it was not a meteorite. He explained that meteorites do not have angular, irregular spikes, as they melt upon entering the super-hot plasma of the atmosphere. In contrast, the rock in question had a bubbled and irregular surface, features consistent with volcanic rock.
Geologist Barbara Gollain from the Mineralogy Museum of Strasbourg also expressed skepticism, suggesting that the rock resembled steelmaking slag rather than a space rock. Slag is a by-product of smelting ores and used metal and can contain iron and silicon, similar to meteorites. This supports the theory that the rock may have come from the roof or the road, rather than outer space.
Dr Richard Greenwood, a researcher at the Open University’s planetary and space sciences department, even proposed that the rock could have fallen from an aircraft’s wheels. Furthermore, the lack of damage to the roof on the morning of the incident contradicts the typical impact of a meteorite, which would have caused considerable destruction.
François Colas, an astronomer with the Fireball Recovery and InterPlanetary Observation Network (FRIPON), reported that no meteors were detected in the area on July 6, the day of the incident. He explained that such objects would have been highly visible, reaching a magnitude of -15, and would have been reported by amateur astronomers observing the sky.
Ultimately, the origin of the rock remains a mystery. Some suggest it may have fallen off a roof or been thrown from the road by potential burglars. The unique nature of the incident and the rarity of meteorites impacting populated areas make it challenging to determine the rock’s true source.
It is worth noting that the only recorded case of a meteorite killing a human occurred more than 130 years ago in an Iraqi village. However, the recent incident in France does not seem to fit the characteristics of a typical meteorite event.
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