Sikhote-Alin Nickel Iron Meteorite, from Russia (REF:SAM5)

Sikhote-Alin Nickel Iron Meteorite, from Russia

Measurements Approx.
Height - 1.8 cm
Width - 3.0 cm
Length - 3.5 cm

Measurements Approx.
Height - 7 cm
Width - 2 cm
Length - 7 cm

Type;Iron

Group;IIAB

First Found;1947

Observed Fall:     Yes

Country:       Russia

Fall Date;       February 12th 1948

At around 10:30 am on the 12th February 1948, many eyewitnesses saw a fireball, said to be brighter than the Sun come from the north and trailing smoke which stretched for at least 20 miles in the sky. The flash and incredibly loud sound of the fall were observed for up to 300km around the impact point. 

The meteor which is estimated to have weighed around 100,000kg (51,000lb) when it entered the atmosphere was travelling at an estimated speed of in excess of 31,000 miles an hour. It started to break apart and the largest fragment airburst violently at an altitude of approximately 3.5 miles (5.6km).

On the 10th anniversary of the fall, the Soviet Union issued a postage stamp. It is based on the work of an artist who actually witnessed the fall. P.I.Medvedev was sketching when heard the noise and drew what he saw in the sky.

Fragments of the meteorite hit so hard that some created craters up to 20ft (6m) deep. Some even drove into the wood of trees.

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