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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Photo: "Oddball" Scottish Rocks Formed By Meteorite


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A meteorite that crashed into what is now Scotland more than a billion years ago left an impact layer, seen in the foreground of this undated photograph.

The two pink, slightly curled sandstone slabs (center) were ripped up from underlying bedrock, and the sandstone block (center right) was rolled into a ball by the force of the meteorite crash.

The new findings solve a long-standing puzzle about the layer of rock, which stretches for about 31 miles (50 kilometers).

Photograph courtesy Ken Amor, University of Oxford