Muscat – In a first-of-its-kind project in the region, Oman has succeeded in monitoring and documenting the entry of meteorites into its airspace in real time and pinpointing the exact location of fall.

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) has announced the real-time documentation of the first meteorite samples entering Oman’s airspace via its Meteorite Monitoring Project.

In collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Bern, Switzerland and with technical assistance of Curtin University of Australia, MHT has established meteorite tracking devices in desert locations.

These devices are now producing accurate data on meteorite activity in the sultanate. In a statement, the ministry said that the precise geographical location of where a meteorite fell was calculated, making it easier for the Omani-Swiss scientific team to swiftly reach the site. The meteorite samples weighed 8.2gm and 13.8gm.

Chemical analyses and correlation studies between monitoring data and meteorite isotope analysis have been completed in a laboratory in the University of Freiburg, Germany.

Classified as Breccia H5-6, the meteorite was officially named ‘Al Khadhaf’, having fallen in the Al Khadhaf area of the wilayat of Thumrait. Analysis indicates the meteorite originated from the inner part of an asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter.

‘This significant achievement highlights the advanced technological capabilities for searching and finding observed meteorites in Oman. The Al Khadhaf meteorite is the first found by monitoring devices in the sultanate.’