Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite fell at 10.38 a.m. local time
on February 12th, 1947 in Eastern Siberia. In full daylight, this meteorite
broke apart in the Earth's atmosphere. Appearing as a flaming fireball trailed
by a smoke tail, the phenomenon flashed different colors as it made its way
across the Russian sky. "The light was reported as being as bright as
the sun. The sound wave scared thousands of people as it passed.
About 3.5 miles up from the ground, the largest mass broke apart in a violent
explosion. This is a very low altitude for such and event to happen and is highly
unusual. Many fragments were detached early in flight, these proceeded
as "individuals" along with the main mass. Some of these show orientation
or flighty marks.
When the main mass exploded, it created specimens that are referred to as "shrapnel".
The meteorites fell in a elliptical circle of about 1.6 kilometer on snow covered
Sikhote-Alin Mountains. Some fell in trees while others helped create
122 impact craters with diameters from 26 to 0.5 meters and with depths measuring
nearly twice the diameter of the craters.
The main mass is an amazing 1,745 kilogram specimen now on display in Moscow, many other specimens are in museums around the world. The meteorite itself is classified in the Group 11B, with about 5.9% nickel and includes minerals such as kamacite, taenite, plessite, schreibersite crystals, rhabites, troilite and chromite. The majority of this meteorite is of coarse iron.
