Scientists discover space dust in white cliffs of Dover

Scientists have discovered that the iconic white cliffs of Dover in the UK contain the fossilised remains of cosmic dust and may hold clues about the early solar system. The researchers from the Imperial College London in the UK also discovered a way to determine if cosmic dust was clay rich. Clays can only form if water is present, so a method for determining clay content could act like a cosmic divining rod for determining the presence of water rich asteroids in our solar system.

“The iconic white cliffs of Dover are an important source of fossilised creatures that help us to determine the changes and upheavals the planet has undergone many millions of years ago,” said Martin Suttle, a research postgraduate at Imperial College London. “It is so exciting because we’ve now discovered that fossilised space dust is entombed alongside these creatures, which can also provide us with information about what was happening in our solar system at the time,” said Suttle, lead author of the study published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

“In the distant future, asteroids could provide human space explorers with valuable stop offs during long voyages,” said Matt Genge, from the College’s Department of …read more