Most of the meteorites hit the Earth's surface in the form of the smallest particles - meteorite dust. Our planet receives about 40,000 tons of meteorites annually. Including meteorites weighing more than 50 g - about 16,000 tons.
This conclusion was made by scientists from the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and the British Antarctic Service after a joint study, the results of which were published by the publication "Geology".
Scientists were able to show that more meteorites fall at the equator than in the circumpolar and polar regions.
By modeling it was found that the total number of meteorite falls per year is about 17,000, and the proportion of meteorites weighing 10-50 kg is negligible in the total flow of heavenly messengers.
Experts who took the study also said that the easiest way to find meteorites was in Antarctica due to the presence of contrast "black on white". The presence of fallen space rocks on snow and ice makes searching much easier than on an open surface.
When searching for meteorites in Antarctica, experts used the features of the movement of ice layers, contributing to the concentration of meteorite material. In total, during a targeted search for two years of research in Antarctica, they found about 120 specimens of meteorites.
