Munir Humayun

International study discovers ancient meteoritic impact over Antarctica 430,000 years ago

Published: April 2, 2021 | 10:50 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Particles from an exploding meteor that reached the Antarctic ice sheet 430,000 years ago. The particles are evidence of an airburst — a large meteorite or comet collision with the atmosphere that leaves no crater behind — that created a jet of melted and vaporized meteoritic material that passed through the atmosphere to reach the Earth’s surface. (Courtesy of Scott Peterson / micrometeorites.com)

A Florida State University geochemist and postdoctoral scholar were part of an international research team that has found new evidence of a low-altitude meteoritic touchdown event reaching the Antarctic ice sheet 430,000 years ago. The geological record has long shown evidence of meteorite collisions with Earth, but scientists had previously only known of two airbursts […]

FSU expert available for context on NASA Perseverance mission

Published: July 27, 2020 | 2:27 pm | Posted in: Expert Pitches

Munir Humayun, professor of geochemistry at Florida State University.

This summer, NASA’s Perseverance rover mission will begin its exploration of Mars, gathering valuable data that will help scientists understand our neighboring planet. Once on Mars, the rover will search for signs of ancient microscopic life and collect data about the planet’s geology and climate. Perseverance will be the first rover to collect and store […]

FSU MagLab geochemists solve mystery of Earth’s vanishing crust

Published: June 26, 2020 | 3:04 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Scientists examined hundreds of samples taken along the global ridges that contain recycled ancient oceanic crust in variable amounts. “Depleted" segments of the ridge received lower than “normal” amounts of recycled crust, while “enriched” segments contain a larger proportion of recycled crust. Credit: Caroline McNiel/National MagLab

Thank goodness for the Earth’s crust: It is, after all, that solid, outermost layer of our planet that supports everything above it. But much of what happens below that layer remains a mystery, including the fate of sections of crust that vanish back into the Earth. Now, a team of geochemists based at the Florida State […]

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