A fragment of glass estimated to be up to 4,500 million years old which has been found near Belleek, Co Fermanagh, is believed to have come from a meteor which struck the area last December. The director of Armagh Planetarium, Dr Tom Mason, discovered the fragment in a field.
The discovery of the glass fragment explains the blast which rocked the Border village in the early hours of December 13th and blew a three-foot crater in a field close to the main Enniskillen-Bundoran road. Dr Mason said he was convinced that the substance was extraterrestrial and was considerably older than the bedrock found around Belleek.
Scientists from Queen's University have removed particles of clay from around the crater for analysis.