Chebarkul meteorite - the debunking of myths

In the Russian Federation there is a large city - Chelyabinsk. On February 15, 2013, the Chebarkul meteorite fell in its vicinity . This event attracted the attention of the entire scientific world and the masses of the curious.

Meteorite fell in Chelyabinsk

Chelyabinsk, as well as residents of nearby areas at 9-30 saw a high-speed UFO flight in the sky. The object shone brightly, leaving behind a jet track. A few seconds after the phenomenon, a shock wave swept through the city, trees fell down, windows flew out of the windows, some buildings were destroyed. From shards and stones, more than 1500 residents were affected.

What was it? To the place where the mysterious object fell according to calculations, representatives of the authorities, scientists and crowds of intrepid curious went. The fall was fixed by NASA, astronomers of many countries of the world became interested in it.

The heavenly body is the Chebarkul meteorite. This "guest from space" is the second largest after the famous Tunguska meteorite, which flew to Earth in 1908.

Description of the "space guest"

The Chebarkul meteorite entered our atmosphere at an angle of 20 ° and swept at a speed close to 20 km / sec. A stone block weighing 10 tons and a width of about 17 m split at an altitude of 20 km. The Chebarkul meteorite did not fly to the earth, but only its fragments.

The explosion had a power of 30 times more than the bomb in Hiroshima, and pieces of the "space visitor" brought a lot of destruction. Chelyabinsk and settlements in Korkino, Kopeysk, Yemanzhelinsk and Yuzhnouralsk, and the village of Etkul, also suffered. Scientists claim that if the "guest" exploded just a couple of kilometers below, the consequences would be much more deplorable.

The Chebarkul meteorite, a photo of which can now be found in many scientific publications, is an ordinary chondrites. Contains iron and magnetic pyrites, olivine and sulfites, some other complex compounds. Unusual for meteorites are found traces of iron ore of titanic and native copper. The body has cracks filled with vitreous matter.

This meteorite broke away from the mother's body about 4 billion years old and before entering the Earth's atmosphere wandered in open space.

Fall Place

Scientists and treasure seekers went to search for the meteorite. Two main fragments were quickly found in the Chebarkul region. The third piece was found in the Zlatoust district. The fourth part - the largest - fell into the lake Chebarkul. Those who observed this phenomenon claimed that a huge stone raised waves of 3-4 meters in height.

It was a very difficult task to lift it from the muddy bottom of the lake. The chip weighed, it was assumed, at least 300 kg, or even all 400. Under its weight, it was deeply entangled in the bottom mud. Chebarkul meteorite was raised only in late summer of 2013. The local government issued 3 million rubles for this operation.

When a piece of a meteorite was taken from the bottom of the lake, its weight was more than calculated. The stone weighed as much as 600 kg. Scientists have carefully examined the Chebarkul meteorite and announced that it does not present a chemical or radioactive hazard.

Now the Chelyabinsk meteorite (the official name) is a local landmark, it is kept in the museum of local lore in Chelyabinsk.

In addition to these 4 main parts, many small meteorite stones were found.

Interesting Facts

The fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite made a lot of noise. It is worth noting such interesting facts related to this event:

• Today tourist trips are organized to the place where the meteorite falls,
• A medal with an insert from a meteorite for sportsmen who in Olympic games will win a victory on February, 15th is established,
• Many pieces of "space alien" diverged in private collections,
• There were many thematic brands of alcohol and sweets - "Chebarkul Meteor", "Meteorite in Chelyabinsk", "Ural Guest" and other creative names,
• Enterprising businessmen began to produce clothes, dishes, other trifles with prints of the Chebarkul meteorite,
• Chelyabinsk perfume company created unusual perfume "Chebarkul Meteorite" with components of metal and stone,
• Many resourceful residents put on the Internet auction items that were affected by the meteorite explosion, all the lots quickly dispersed to the hands of strange collectors,
• There were scammers who spread information about the therapeutic and magical properties of the meteorite,
• The state compensated residents for the windows blown out by the blast wave; Many, wanting to receive compensation, themselves knocked out the windows in the apartments.

Scientists said that a meteorite of this magnitude falls to the Earth no more than 1 time in 100 years.