Scientists find meteorites off Washington coast

Associated Press

TAHOLAH, Wash. — Scientists searching the seafloor off Washington state have found remnants of a meteor that lit up the Pacific Northwest sky and splashed down in March.

The Seattle Times reports that an eight-hour search at sea Monday yielded two tiny fragments of molten rock.

NASA’s curator of cosmic dust, Mark Fries, says the fragments must be examined more closely to confirm they came from the meteor but he’s optimistic. He says it’s the first intentional search for meteorites at sea.

Meteorites are bits of material left over from the formation of the solar system.

Crew members aboard the Nautilus, the nonprofit ship that conducted the search, said the search was challenging because the seafloor was soft and muddy.