Morphology of meteorites

Before reaching the earth's surface, all meteorites at high speeds (from 5 km / s to 20 km / s) pass through the layers of the earth's atmosphere. As a result of the monstrous aerodynamic load, meteorite bodies acquire characteristic external features such as:

• oriented-cone-shaped or fused-detrital shape,
• melting crust,
• as a result of ablation (high-temperature, atmospheric erosion), a unique regmagliptic relief.

What if you find a meteorite?

You may have a question, what to do if you find a stone in which you suspect a meteorite?

First. Send the following data by e-mail:

• your last name, first name;
• your contact details;
• a description of the circumstances of the find (for example: "I saw a fall", or "I found a heavy stone while working on the field");
• date of discovery;
• indication of the location of the find;
• sample weight;
• its properties (color of the surface and chips, structure, magnetism, presence of metal inclusions, etc.);
• high quality sample photos.

Second. Cut off a small piece of the sample (10-15 g) and send to our address. Sending the parcel must be agreed in advance by phone 0672316316 or by e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.... A completed sample application for examination must be attached to the parcel.

Upon receipt of your parcel, we undertake to carry out a qualified analysis of the sent sample. And in the shortest possible time to inform you about its results, even if it does not turn out to be a meteorite.

Surface and appearance of meteorites

If a melted surface is observed, this is a good indication. But if the meteorite lies in the ground or on the surface, the surface may lose its appearance.

The most striking feature of every meteorite is its melting crust. If the meteorite did not crash when it fell to the Earth, or if it was not broken by someone later, then it is covered with a melting crust on all sides. The color and structure of the melting crust depends on the type of meteorite. Often the melting crust of iron and iron-stone meteorites is black, sometimes with a brownish tint. The melting crust is especially clearly visible on stony meteorites; it is black and dull, which is characteristic mainly of chondrites. However, sometimes the bark is very shiny, as if covered with black varnish; this is characteristic of achondrites. Finally, a light, translucent crust is very rarely observed, through which the meteorite material shines through.

Melting crust is observed, of course, only on those meteorites that were found immediately or shortly after their fall.

Meteorites that have lain in the Earth for a long time are destroyed from the surface under the influence of atmospheric and soil agents. As a result, the melting crust is oxidized, eroded and converted into an oxidation or weathering crust, taking on a completely different appearance and properties.

The second main, external sign of meteorites is the presence on their surface of characteristic depressions - pits, reminiscent of fingerprints in soft clay and called regmaglipts or piezoglipts. They have a rounded, elliptical, polygonal or, finally, strongly elongated in the form of a groove. Sometimes there are meteorites with completely smooth surfaces that do not have regmaglipts at all. They are very similar in appearance to ordinary cobblestones. Regmagliptic relief is entirely dependent on the conditions of movement of the meteorite in the earth's atmosphere.

Meteorites in 99% have no inclusions of quartz and there are no "bubbles" in them. But the grain structure is often present. Meteorites most often contain iron, which, once they hit the ground, begin to oxidize; it looks like a rusty stone.

Meteorite shape

A meteorite can have any shape, even square. But if it is a regular ball or sphere, it is most likely not a meteorite.

Internal structure of meteorites

Iron meteorites are heterogeneous in their mass. They are composed of separate plates - beams, with a width from fractions of a millimeter to 2 or more millimeters. These beams are composed of iron with a small admixture of nickel, not more than 7%. Due to this, the polished surfaces of such beams lend themselves to the action of acid and, after etching, become rough and matte. On the contrary, the narrow shiny stripes bordering these beams are composed of iron with a large admixture of nickel, about 24-25%. As a result, they are very resistant to acid solution and remain as shiny after etching as they were before etching. The pattern obtained on etched plates is called Widmanstätten figures (Widmanstetten structure), after the name of the scientist who first discovered these figures.

Iron meteorites showing Widmanstätten figures after etching are called octahedrites, since the beams forming these figures are located along the planes of a geometric figure - an octahedron.

If on the etched surfaces of some iron meteorites, instead of Widmanstätten figures, thin, parallel lines appear, called Neumann lines ("Neumann lines"). Meteorites showing the Neumann lines contain the smallest amount of nickel, about 5-6%. Each of them is a single crystal in its entire mass, that is, it is a single crystal of the cubic system, which has six faces and is called a hexahedron. Therefore, iron meteorites showing Neumann lines are called hexahedrites.

There is also another type of iron meteorite, called ataxites, which means "devoid of order." Such meteorites contain the largest amount of nickel (over 13%) and do not show any definite pattern when polished surfaces are etched.

Specific gravity of meteorites

Meteorites of different classes differ sharply in their specific gravity. Using measurements of the specific gravity of individual meteorites made by various researchers, the following average values ​​were obtained for each class:

• Iron meteorites - ranges from 7.29 to 7.88; average value - 7.72;
• Pallasites (average value) - 4.74;
• Mesosiderites - 5.06;
• Stone meteorites - range from 3.1 to 3.84; average value - 3.54;

As can be seen from the data presented, even stone meteorites in most cases turn out to be noticeably heavier than terrestrial rocks (due to the high content of inclusions of nickel iron).

Magnetic properties of meteorites

Another hallmark of meteorites is their magnetic properties. Not only iron and iron-stone meteorites, but also stone (chondrites) have magnetic properties, that is, they react to a constant magnetic field. This is due to the presence of a fairly large amount of free metal - nickel iron. True, some rather rare types of meteorites from the class of achondrites are completely devoid of metallic inclusions, or contain them in insignificant quantities. Therefore, such meteorites are not magnetic.

There are also many natural stones on Earth that have the same properties. If you see that it is metal, and it does not stick to a magnet, this is most likely a find of terrestrial origin.

Optical properties of meteorites

The optical properties of meteorites in general include the color and reflectivity of their fresh fracture surfaces. Such characteristics are of great importance for comparing meteorites with other bodies in the solar system, for example, with asteroids, planets and their satellites. Domestic and foreign scientists studying this problem, comparing the average values ​​for the entire spectrum of the brightness coefficients of meteorites with the albedo of some celestial bodies, came to the conclusion that asteroids, some planets such as Mars, Jupiter and their satellites are very similar in their optical parameters to various meteorites ...

Chemical composition of meteorites

The most common chemical elements in meteorites are iron, nickel, sulfur, magnesium, silicon, aluminum, calcium, and oxygen. Oxygen is present in the form of compounds with other elements. These eight chemical elements make up the bulk of meteorites. Iron meteorites are almost entirely composed of nickel iron, stone - mainly of oxygen, silicon, iron, nickel and magnesium, and iron-stone - of approximately equal amounts of nickel iron and oxygen, magnesium, silicon. The rest of the chemical elements are present in meteorites in small amounts.

Let us note the role and state of the main chemical elements in the composition of meteorites.

• Iron Fe... It is the most important component of all meteorites in general. Even in stony meteorites, the average iron content is 15.5%. It occurs both in the form of nickel iron, which is a solid solution of nickel and iron, and in the form of compounds with other elements, forming a number of minerals: troilite, schreibersite, silicates, etc.
• Nickel Ni. It always accompanies iron and is found in the form of nickel iron, and is also a part of phosphides, carbides, sulfides and chlorides. The obligatory presence of nickel in the iron of meteorites is their characteristic feature. The average ratio Ni: Fe = 1: 10, however, some meteorites may exhibit significant deviations.
• Cobalt Co. An element that, along with nickel, is a permanent component of nickel iron; does not occur in its pure form. The average Co: Ni ratio is 1: 10, but as in the case of the iron to nickel ratio, significant deviations can be observed in individual meteorites. Cobalt is a part of carbides, phosphides, sulfides.
• Sulfur S. Found in meteorites of all classes. It is always present as an integral part of the troilite mineral.
• Silicon Si. It is the most important component of stone and iron-stone meteorites. Present in them in the form of compounds with oxygen and some other metals, silicon is part of the silicates that form the bulk of stony meteorites.
• Aluminum Al. Unlike terrestrial rocks, aluminum is found in meteorites in much smaller quantities. It is found in them in combination with silicon as a component of feldspars, pyroxenes and chromite.
• Magnesium Mg. It is the most important component of stone and iron-stone meteorites. It is a constituent of basic silicates and ranks fourth among other chemical elements contained in stony meteorites.
• Oxygen O. It makes up a significant proportion of the substance of stony meteorites, being part of the silicates that compose these meteorites. In iron meteorites, oxygen is present as a component of chromite and magnetite. Oxygen was not found in meteorites as a gas.
• Phosphorus P. An element that is always present in meteorites (in iron - in a larger amount, in stone - in a smaller amount). It is part of the phosphide of iron, nickel and cobalt - schreibersite, a mineral characteristic of meteorites.
• Chlorine Cl. It is found only in compounds with iron, forming a mineral characteristic of meteorites - lavrensite.
• Manganese Mn. It is found in noticeable quantities in stone meteorites and in the form of traces in iron ones.

Mineral composition of meteorites

Essential minerals

• Native iron: kamacite (93.1% Fe; 6.7Ni; 0.2Co) and tenite (75.3% Fe; 24.4Ni; 0.3Co)
• The native iron of meteorites is represented mainly by two mineral species, which are solid solutions of nickel in iron: kamasite and tenite. They are well distinguished in iron meteorites when the polished surface is etched with a 5% solution of nitric acid in alcohol. Kamasite is etched incomparably easier than tenite, forming a pattern characteristic only of meteorites.
• Olivine (Mg, Fe / 2SiO 4). Olivine is the most abundant silicate in meteorites. Olivine occurs in the form of large fused rounded drop-like crystals, sometimes retaining the remnants of facets of pallasites included in the iron; in some iron-stone meteorites (for example, "Bragin") it is present in the form of angular fragments of the same large crystals. In chondrites, olivine is in the form of skeletal crystals, participating in the addition of grate chondrules. Less commonly, it forms full-crystalline chondrules, and also occurs in separate small and larger grains, sometimes in well-formed crystals or in fragments. In crystalline chondrites, olivine is the main component in the mosaic of crystalloblastic grains that composes such meteorites. It is remarkable that, in contrast to terrestrial olivine, which almost always contains a small admixture of nickel (up to 0.2-0.3% NiO) in solid solution, olivine from meteorites contains almost no nickel at all.
• Rhombic pyroxene. Rhombic pyroxene is the second most abundant among meteorite silicates. There are some, it is true, very few meteorites in which rhombic pyroxene is the decisively predominant or main constituent part. Rhombic pyroxene is sometimes represented by iron-free enstatite (MgSiO 3), in other cases its composition corresponds to bronzite (Mg, Fe) SiO 3 or hypersthene (Fe, Mg) SiO 3 with (12-25% FeO).
• Monoclinic pyroxene. Monoclinic pyroxene in meteorites is significantly inferior in abundance to rhombic pyroxene. It constitutes an essential part of a rare class of meteorites (achondrites), such as: crystalline-granular eucrites and shergotites, ureilites, as well as fine-grained breccia howardites, i.e. full-crystalline or brecciated meteorites, in terms of mineralogical composition closely corresponding to very widespread terrestrial gabbro-diabases and basalts.
• Plagioclase (mCaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 хnNa 2 Al 2 Si 6 O 16). Plagioclase occurs in meteorites in two substantially different forms. It is, together with monoclinic pyroxene, an essential mineral in eucrites. Here it is represented by acortite. In howardites, plagioclase is found in separate fragments or is part of the fragments of eucrites, which are found in this type of meteorite.
• Glass. Glass is an important part of stony meteorites, especially chondrites. They are almost always found in chondrules, and some of them are made entirely of glass. Glass is also found as inclusions in minerals. In some rare meteorites, glass is abundant and forms a kind of cement that binds other minerals. The glass is usually brown to opacity.

Secondary minerals

• Maskelynite is a transparent, colorless, isotropic mineral with the same composition and refractive index as plagioclase. Some consider mascelinite to be a plagioclase glass, while others consider it to be an isotropic crystalline mineral. It occurs in meteorites in the same forms as plagioplasm and is characteristic only of meteorites.
• Graphite and "amorphous carbon". Carbonaceous chondrites are permeated with black, dull, hand-staining carbonaceous substance, which, after the decomposition of the meteorite with acids, remains in the insoluble residue. It has been described as "amorphous carbon". The study of this substance taken from the Staroye Boriskino meteorite showed that this remnant is mainly graphite.

Accessory minerals

• Troilite (FeS). Iron sulfide - troilite - is an extremely widespread accessory mineral in meteorites. In iron meteorites, troilite occurs mainly in two forms. The most common type of its location are large (from 1-10mm) drop-like inclusions in diameter. The second form is thin plates that have grown into a meteorite in a regular position: along the plane of the cube of the original iron crystal. In stony meteorites, troilite is dispersed in the form of small xenomorphic grains, the same as the grains of nickel iron found in these meteorites.
• Schreibersite ((Fe, Ni, Co) 3 P). Phosphide of iron and nickel - schreibersite - is unknown among the minerals of terrestrial rocks. In iron meteorites, it is an almost constantly present accessory mineral. Schreibersite is a white (or slightly grayish-yellowish) mineral with a metallic luster, hard (6.5) and brittle. Schreibersite occurs in three main forms: in the form of plates, in the form of hieroglyphic inclusions in kamacite, and in the form of needle-like crystals - this is the so-called rhabdite.
• Chromite (FeCr 2 O 4) and magnetite (Fe 3 O 4). Chromite and magnetite are common accessory minerals in stone and iron meteorites. In stony meteorites, chromite and magnetite are found in grains, just as they are found in terrestrial rocks. Chromitis is more common; its average amount, calculated from the average composition of meteorites, is about 0.25%. Irregular grains of chromite are present in some iron meteorites, and magnetite is also part of the melting (oxidation) crust of iron meteorites.
• Lawrenceite (FeCl 2). Lavrensite, which has a composition of ferric chloride, is a mineral quite common in meteorites. Lavrensite of meteorites also contains nickel, which is absent in those products of terrestrial volcanic exhalations where there is iron chloride, which is present, for example, in an isomorphic mixture with magnesium chloride. Lavrensite is an unstable mineral, it is very hygroscopic and spreads out in the air. In meteorites, it has been found in the form of small green droplets that occur as attacks in cracks. In the future, it turns brown, takes on a brown-red color, and then turns into rusty aqueous iron oxides.
• Apatite (3CaOxP 2 O 5 xCaCl 2) and merrylite (Na 2 Ox3CaOxP 2 O 5). Calcium phosphate - apatite, or calcium and sodium - merrilite, apparently, are the minerals in which the phosphorus of stone meteorites is enclosed. Merrilite is unknown among terrestrial minerals. It is very similar to apatite in appearance, but is usually found in xenomorphic irregular grains.

Random minerals

Random minerals rarely found in meteorites include the following: Diamond (C), moissanite (SiC), cogenite (Fe 3 C), osbornite (TiN), oldhamite (CaS), dobreelite (FeCr 2 S 4), quartz and tridymite (SiO 2), weinbergerite (NaAlSiO 4 х3FeSiO 3), carbonates.

What meteorites are not

Practical meteorite never has an internal horizontal structure (layers). The meteorite does not look like a river stone (pebble).

Gemological examination

Type of service	Price without VAT*	Deadlines
Examination of meteorites	for 1 pc.
Examination of meteorites (without issuing a protocol)	UAH 500	up to 1 day
Examination of meteorites	UAH 1000	up to 7 days
Examination of meteorites with chemical analysis (siderite, stone, iron-stone)	UAH 2300	up to 7 days

It can be generally attributed to one of three types of meteorites: iron, iron-stone and stone. Most of the meteorites that fall to us belong to stone, however, it is much more difficult to detect and distinguish them by their appearance than iron ones.

In addition, pieces of space debris fall to the Earth, and it is also possible to distinguish them from fragments of a meteorite only in the course of laboratory research.

How to distinguish a fragment of cosmic origin from an ordinary stone?

Anyone can find a meteorite shard. However, not every stone that you meet on the road is a cosmic "alien".

When scientists go “hunting” for meteorites, they equip the expedition and use special devices that allow them to detect and classify a space object in the field. They use metal detectors because there is often metal in space objects. If there is a suspicion of extraterrestrial origin, then a primary analysis of the finds is carried out in the field (tested for electrical conductivity, magnetic properties) and then sent to laboratories to conduct a chemical analysis of the fragments found.

According to specialist of the Vladimir State Planetarium Valentina Glazova, in fact, only a specialist in this field can distinguish a meteorite fragment. However, there are general guidelines, thanks to which you can understand if there is a chance that you have a meteorite in your hands:

The edges of the meteorite are fused (due to heating after passing through the Earth's atmosphere);
- the meteorite exhibits magnetic properties (if you attach a strong magnet to it, it will become magnetized);
- a heavy meteorite (a stone of a similar size will weigh much less);
- the surface of the iron and iron-stone meteorite is heterogeneous - peculiar "fingerprints" are visible on it, as if left by hands on plasticine;
- meteorites often have a dark “charred” color, however, after a long time in the soil, the surface of a meteorite containing iron can oxidize and acquire a “rusty” hue.
When purchasing a Meteorite Shard, remember that no expert can tell with certainty whether it is genuine or just a piece of iron ore.

Can meteorites be sold?

There is no special legislation regulating interaction with the found meteorite.

Leading researcher at the Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry named after Vernadsky, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Andrei Ivanov noted that in order to legalize a meteorite on the territory of Russia, it is necessary to register it in the International Catalog of Meteorites. This procedure in the Russian Federation can be performed exclusively in the meteoritics laboratory of the GEOKHI RAS.

According to the rules of the International Meteorite Nomenclature Committee, you need to submit at least 20% of the find to the meteoritics laboratory, but you can dispose of the remaining 80% at your discretion.

However, do not forget that, is the property of this state.

What else are they selling?

There are many ordinary stones for sale under the guise of meteorites. However, crooks fake not only cosmic bodies, but also completely terrestrial historical objects. For example, tourists are offered to buy pieces of the Berlin Wall, fragments of ancient dolmens (ancient stone structures) or stones from the Egyptian Pyramids. For tourists, there will always be coins from the time of Caesar, chips of sarcophagi, fragments of ancient Greek sculptures.

You shouldn't fall for these tricks. Anything that has antique and historical value, as well as items that are necessary and important for science or that are state property cannot be objects of free trade.

I decided to write about how to understand that you have found a meteorite, since almost every day they send me to e-mail a photo of the found "meteorites".

There is a lot of theory on the properties of meteorites on the Internet, but I will try to show everything in practice, based on the photos sent by amateur meteorologists and meteorites from the collection.

Theory:

1. Meteorites magnetise and deflect the compass needle.

2.The meteorites are visibleregmaglips -grooves, dents.

3.Very heavy, as the density is higher than normal rocks.

5.If it is sawn and polished, then the iron meteorite will be visible after etching with nitric acidWidmanstätt figures(metal crystals), in stone meteorites, small chondrules (silicate balls) and dissemination of metal are visible, in iron-stone meteorites - grains of the mineral olivine (green and transparent) in nickel iron.

6. There are no pores.

Practice:

Iron meteorite with distinct regmaglipts.

Polished and acid etched iron meteorite plate with typical Widmanstätt structure.

Saw cut of a stone meteorite with chondrules and iron inclusions.

A plate of an iron-stone meteorite - grains of olivine and metal are visible.

Pseudo meteorites.

Most often, meteorites are confused with these rocks:

Marcasite nodule. The shape is a ball. If broken - a characteristic golden color and a radially-striped structure, do not magnetize.

Slag- waste of the metallurgical industry. Characteristic features: pores, high luster, heavy, magnetic.

Breeds that can weakly magnet.

The photo shows ordinary igneous rocks, but they are weakly magnetised, which gives rise to the idea that these are meteorites.

They differ in that they contain quartz - a transparent mineral (in the first photo - inclusions, in the second - a vein) - this cannot be in a meteorite. Magnetism is caused by blotches of iron minerals (magnetite, hematite, ilmenite ...) - black blotches are visible in the photo.

I would be glad if my article brought you results!

If you have any doubts about the definition of the find - write to me by e-mail - I will give you a hint.

After the find confirms its cosmic origin according to the above points, spectral microanalysis can be carried out in order to find out the exact chemical composition. To do this, contact me and we will discuss the details.

Space bodies are constantly falling on our planet. Some of them are the size of a grain of sand, others can weigh several hundred kilograms or even tons. Canadian scientists from the Ottawa Astrophysical Institute claim that a meteorite shower with a total mass of more than 21 tons falls to the Earth in a year, and individual meteorites weigh from a few grams to 1 ton.
In this article, we will recall the 10 largest meteorites that fell to Earth.

Sutter Mill meteorite, April 22, 2012

This meteorite, called the Sutter Mill, appeared on Earth on April 22, 2012, moving at a breakneck speed of 29 km / s. It flew over the states of Nevada and California, scattering its incandescent ones, and exploded over Washington. The power of the explosion was about 4 kilotons of TNT. For comparison, the power of yesterday's meteorite explosion when falling on Chelyabinsk was 300 tons of TNT. Scientists have found that the Sutter Mill meteorite appeared in the early days of the existence of our solar system, and the cosmic progenitor body was formed over 4566.57 million years ago. Fragments of the Sutter Mill meteorite:

Meteor shower in China, February 11, 2012

Almost a year ago, on February 11, 2012, about a hundred meteorite stones fell over an area of ​​100 km in one of the regions of China. The largest meteorite found weighed 12.6 kg. The meteorites are believed to have come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Meteorite from Peru, 15 September 2007

This meteorite fell in Peru near Lake Titicaca, near the border with Bolivia. Eyewitnesses claimed that at first there was a loud noise, similar to the sound of a falling plane, but then they saw a certain falling body engulfed in fire. A bright trail from a space body heated to white heat that entered the Earth's atmosphere is called a meteor.

A crater with a diameter of 30 and a depth of 6 meters was formed at the site of the fall from the explosion, from which a fountain of boiling water began to flow. The meteorite likely contained toxic substances, as 1,500 people living nearby developed severe headaches.

By the way, most often stone meteorites (92.8%), consisting mainly of silicates, fall to the Earth. The meteorite that fell on Chelyabinsk was iron, according to the first estimates. Fragments of the Peruvian meteorite:

Meteorite Kunya-Urgench from Turkmenistan, June 20, 1998

The meteorite fell near the Turkmen city of Kunya-Urgench, hence its name. Before the fall, the inhabitants saw a bright light. The largest part of the meteorite, weighing 820 kg, fell into a cotton field, forming a crater about 5 meters.

This age of more than 4 billion years has received a certificate of the International Meteorite Society and is considered the largest among the stone meteorites of all that fell in the CIS and the third in the world. Fragment of the Turkmen meteorite:

Sterlitamak meteorite, May 17, 1990

An iron meteorite Sterlitamak weighing 315 kg fell on a state farm field 20 km west of the city of Sterlitamak on the night of May 17-18, 1990. When the meteorite fell, a crater with a diameter of 10 meters was formed. First, small metal fragments were found, and only a year later, at a depth of 12 meters, the largest fragment, weighing 315 kg, was found. Now the meteorite (0.5 x 0.4 x 0.25 meters) is in the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the Ufa Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Fragments of a meteorite. On the left is the same splinter weighing 315 kg:

Largest meteor shower, China, 8 March 1976

In March 1976, China's Jilin Province experienced the largest meteorite stone rain in the world, lasting 37 minutes. Space bodies fell to the ground at a speed of 12 km / sec. Fantasy on the theme of meteorites:

Then they found about a hundred meteorites, including the largest - the 1.7-ton Jilin (Jirin) meteorite.

These are the pebbles falling from the sky to China for 37 minutes:

Sikhote-Alin meteorite, Far East, February 12, 1947

A meteorite fell in the Far East in the Ussuri taiga in the Sikhote-Alin mountains on February 12, 1947. It shattered in the atmosphere and fell in the form of an iron rain over an area of ​​10 square kilometers.

After the fall, more than 30 craters with a diameter of 7 to 28 m and a depth of 6 meters were formed. Was collected about 27 tons of meteorite matter. Fragments of the "piece of iron" that fell from the sky during a meteor shower:

Goba Meteorite, Namibia, 1920

Meet this Goba - the largest meteorite found! Strictly speaking, it fell fell about 80,000 years ago. This iron giant weighing about 66 tons and a volume of 9 cubic meters. fell in prehistoric times and was found in Namibia in 1920 near Grotfontein.

The Goba meteorite is mainly composed of iron and is considered the heaviest of all celestial bodies of this kind that have ever appeared on Earth. It is preserved at the site of a fall in southwestern Africa, in Namibia, near the Goba West farm. It is also the largest natural iron lump on Earth. Since 1920, the meteorite has slightly decreased: erosion, scientific research and vandalism have done their job: the meteorite "lost weight" to 60 tons.

Mystery of the Tunguska meteorite, 1908

On June 30, 1908, at about 07:00 in the morning, a large fireball flew over the territory of the Yenisei basin from the south-east to the north-west. The flight ended with an explosion at an altitude of 7-10 km over an unpopulated area of ​​the taiga. The blast wave circled the globe twice and was recorded by observatories around the world. The power of the explosion is estimated at 40-50 megatons, which corresponds to the energy of the most powerful hydrogen bomb. The flight speed of the space giant was tens of kilometers per second. Weight - from 100 thousand to 1 million tons!

Podkamennaya Tunguska river area:

As a result of the explosion, trees were felled on an area of ​​more than 2,000 square meters. km, window panes in houses were shattered several hundred kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion. The blast wave in a radius of about 40 km destroyed the animals and suffered people. For several days, an intense glow of the sky and glowing clouds were observed in the territory from the Atlantic to central Siberia.