Meteorites | Historic Falls

Hraschina, Croatia, *1751

The Hraschina meteorite is interesting in a number of ways. It was the earliest observed fall in what is now Croatia. It was also the first iron meteorite which was witnessed to fall to earth. Analysis due to heating lead to the discovery of the well-known Widmannstatten Patterns, which are nowadays revealed through acid etching. (Note, however, that these had been independently discovered 4 years earlier – see the full article). Read a full account here.

Aegospotami, Greece, *465 BC

One of the earliest falls of which I’ve been able to find any surviving accounts, the meteorite at Aegospotami fell around 465 BC. Exact dating is difficult, due to uncertainty caused by multiple dating systems at the time. Read a full account here.

Hoba, Namibia, 1920

The Hoba meteorite is the largest example known anywhere on the planet. For a full report, I’ve transcribed a historical account here.

Barea, Spain, *1842

Barea fell in the La Rioja region of Spain in 1842. It is an incredibly rare meteorite – only 3,200g were recovered, and at least 1,800g are resident in institutions. In addition, it is one of only 6 meteorites classified as Mesosiderite-A1 – the only other one people are likely to have heard of is Vaca Muerta. This is a beautifully, gem-cut part-slice weighing 0.29g.

Tennasilm, Estonia, *1872

Tennasilm is an L4 chondrite, which was seen to fall over Estonia in 1872. Around 28,5kg of material was recovered. This lovely part slice weights 1.92g.

Shalka, India, *1850

Shalka fell in West Bengal, India, in 1840. A rare diogenite, only 4,000g of the meteorite were recovered. The material is extremely friable. This piece weights 0.93g and descends from the Prof. Martin Horejsi collection.

Tunguska, Russia, *1908

Tunguska today. Photo credit: Hu9423/WikiCommons The Tunguska Event is one of the most mysterious and astonishing happenings of recent times. For a full report, check out my article...

Rocks In My Head

I recently told a friend how I sometimes stand in my garden at night, gazing up at the moon while holding a piece of it in my hand. She looked at me sideways, probably wondering if I’d been enjoying a different kind of moonshine. This scene is one of the entrancing aspects of meteorites. As a life-long amateur astronomer, I knew a little about them: “A meteoroid is a rock floating in space. When it enters the earth’s atmosphere, sometimes at 20 miles per second, it heats up and becomes a meteor, giving off heat, light and mass as it plunges downwards. If anything survives to reach the ground, it’s called a meteorite.” But that textbook definition doesn’t...

Dundrum, Ireland, *1865

Dundrum is a remarkably rare and difficult specimen to acquire. The total known weight of this stone, which fell in Munster in 1865, is only 2,270g. About 1,700g is in the Museum in Dublin, with another 400g in the NHM, London. It is estimated that there are only about 100 – 200g available to collectors. This 2.9g cut fragment is a little beauty! Details of the circumstances of the fall and recovery will appear here when I get a chance.

Alborow, England, *1642

Alborow (or, as the town is now spelt, Aldeburgh) was reputed to be the location of a fallen meteorite in 1642, at the outbreak of the English Civil War. An account is extant produced by one T Fawcet, and published in London. Here is his tale. [Alborow is not considered a meteorite by either the Met Bull or MetBase]