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A beautifully shaped authentic Sikhote-Alin Meteorite- Russia, 1947.Considered a large specimen, it measures 63 x 41 x 25 mm. 127 grams.Sikhote-Alin meteoriteFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to searchSikhote-AlinThumbprinted Sikhote-Alin sampleTypeIronStructural classificationOctahedrite, coarsestGroupIIABComposition93%Fe, 5.9%Ni, 0.42%Co, 0.46%P, 0.28%SCountryRussiaRegionSikhote-Alin Mountains,Primorsky Krai,Far Eastern Federal fallYesFall dateFebruary 12, 1947TKW>23 tonnes (25 short tons)[1]Strewn fieldYesRelated media on Wikimedia Commons
Aniron meteoritefell on theSikhote-Alin Mountains, in southeastern Russia, in 1947. Large ironmeteorite fallshave been witnessed and fragments recovered but never before, inrecorded history, a fall of this magnitude.[2]An estimated 23tonnes[1]of fragments survived the fiery passage through the atmosphere and reached the Earth.
Contents
- 1Impact
- 2Orbit
- 3Size
- 4Strewn field and craters
- 5Composition and classification
- 6Specimens
- 7See also
- 8References
- 9External links
Impact[edit]The 10th anniversary stamp. It reproduces a painting by P. J. Medvedev.
At around 10:30 on 12 February 1947, eyewitnesses in theSikhote-Alin Mountains,Primorye, Soviet Union, observed a largebolidebrighter than thesunthat came out of the north and descended at an angle of about 41 degrees. The bright flash and the deafening sound of the fall were observed for 300 kilometres (190mi) around the point of impact not far fromLuchegorskand approximately 440km (270mi) northeast ofVladivostok. A smoke trail, estimated at 32km (20mi) long, remained in the sky for several hours.
As the meteor, traveling at a speed of about 14km/s (8.7mi/s), entered the atmosphere, it began to break apart, and the fragments fell together, some burying themselves 6 metres (20ft) deep.[3]At an altitude of about 5.6km (3.5mi), the largest mass apparently broke up in a violent explosion called anair burst.
On November 20, 1957[4]theSoviet Unionissued a stamp for the 10th anniversary of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite shower. It reproduces a painting byP. I. Medvedev, a Soviet artist who witnessed the fall: he was sitting in his window starting a sketch when the fireball appeared, so he immediately began drawing what he saw.[5]
Orbit[edit]
Because themeteorfell during daytime, it was observed by many eyewitnesses. Evaluation of this observational data allowedV. G. Fesenkov, then chairman of the meteorite committee of theUSSR Academy of Science, to estimate themeteoroid\'sorbitbefore it encountered the Earth. This orbit wasellipse-shaped, with its point of greatest distance from thesunsituated within theasteroid belt, similar to many other small bodies crossing the orbit of the Earth.[6]Such an orbit was probably created by collisions within the asteroid belt.
Size[edit]
Sikhote-Alin is a massive fall with the pre-atmospheric mass of themeteoroidestimated at approximately 90,000kg (200,000lb).[7]A more recent estimate by Tsvetkov (and others) puts the mass at around 100,000kg (220,000lb).[8
Krinov estimated the post-atmospheric mass of the meteoroid at some 23,000kg (51,000lb).
Strewn field and craters[edit]
Thestrewn fieldfor this meteorite covered an elliptical area of about 1.3km2(0.50sqmi). Some of the fragments madeimpact craters, the largest of which was about 26m (85ft) across and 6m (20ft) deep.[9]Fragments of the meteorite were also driven into the surrounding trees, embedding themselves.
Composition and classification[edit]Section
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite is classified as aniron meteoritebelonging to the meteorite groupIIABand with a coarseoctahedritestructure. It is composed of approximately 93%iron, 5.9%nickel, 0.42%cobalt, 0.46%phosphorus, and 0.28%sulfur, with trace amounts ofgermaniumandiridium. Minerals present style=\"margin: 0.5em 0px; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; animation-delay: -0.01ms !important; animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; transition-duration: 0ms !important;\">Specimens of the Sikhote-Alin Meteorite are basically of two types:[8]
- shrapnelorfragmented specimens, sharp-edged pieces of torn metal showing evidence of violent fragmentation
The first type probably broke off the main object early in the descent. These pieces are characterized by regmaglypts (cavities resembling thumb prints) in the surface of each specimen. The second type are fragments which were either torn apart during the atmospheric explosions or blasted apart upon impact on the frozen ground. Most were probably the result of the explosion at 5.6km (3.5mi) altitude.
A large specimen is on display inMoscow. Many other specimens are held byRussian Academy of Scienceand many smaller specimens exist in the collectors\' market.
********I guarantee this Sikhote-Alin meteorite to be authentic. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, I will refund your money after the meteorite is returned to me.
