Sikhote-Alin meteorite

It Came From Outer Space !!!
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From the Internet Encyclopedia of Science:
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/M/meteorites_famous.html
The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
A huge iron meteorite that broke up in the atmosphere and fell as
a shower near the village of Paseka in the western part of the
Sikhote-Alin mountain range in southeast Siberia at 10:38 a.m.
local time on Feb. 12, 1947. Witnesses reported seeing a fireball
that was brighter than the Sun. Coming out of the north and
descending at an angle of 40°, it left a trail of smoke and dust 30
km long that lingered for several hours. Light and sound from the
fall were reported in a radius of some 300 km around the point of
impact. Having entered Earth's atmosphere at about 14.5 km/s
(31,000 mph), the great iron mass began to break into
fragments, which fell together over an elliptical area of about a
square kilometer, the biggest making craters and pits, up to 26 m
across and 6 m deep. The original mass of the meteorite has
been put at more than 70 tons and the largest recovered
fragment is a 1,745 kg specimen now on display in Moscow.
Fragments from the Sikhote-Alin meteorite shower.
Photo credit: Washington University in St. Louis.
From: http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/Sikhote-Alin_meteorite.html
The Location of the Fall
"Bear" Hunting Estate. Sikhote Alin' Mountains.
Primorsky Province. (Photo by P.Fomenko)
From:
http://amurheilong.net/pho/02_ecosystem/02_ecoregions/02temperate
forest/ussuriforest_sikhotealin/images/image/Medved-hunting-leaseLazo%20district-PFomenko.JPG
Location of the Sikhote Alin
meteorite fall in eastern Russia,
off the northern coast of Japan
From:
http://www.meteoritemarket.com/SAinfo.htm
The Sikhote-Alin is a mountain range in the provinces of Primorsky
and Khabarovsk Krais, Russia, extending about 900 km to the
northeast of the Russian Pacific seaport of Vladivostok. The highest
summits are Tordoki Yani (2,077 m), Ko Mountain (2,003 m) in
Khabarovsk Krai and Anik Mountain (1,933 m) in Primorsky Krai.
Sikhote-Alin comprises one of the most extraordinary temperate
zones in the world. Species typical of northern taiga (such as
reindeer and the Ussuri Brown Bear) coexist with tropical species,
the Amur leopard, Siberian tiger, and the Asiatic Black Bear. The
region holds very few wolves, due to competition with tigers. The
oldest tree in the region is a millennium-old Japanese yew.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhote-Alin_Mountains
More About The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
Strewn field:
The strewn field for this meteorite covered an elliptical area of about
1.3 km². Some of the fragments made craters, the largest of
which was about 26 m across and 6 m deep. Fragments of the
meteorite were also driven into the surrounding trees.
Composition and classification:
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite is classified as an iron meteorite
belonging to the chemical group IIAB and with a coarse
octahedrite structure. It is composed of approximately 93% iron,
5.9% nickel, 0.42% cobalt, 0.46% phosphorus, and 0.28% sulfur,
with trace amounts of germanium and iridium. Minerals present
include taenite, plessite, troilite, chromite, kamacite, and
schreibersite.
Two Types of Specimens:
1. Individual, thumbprinted or regmaglypted specimens, showing
fusion crust and signs of atmospheric ablation
2. Shrapnel or fragmented 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
5.6 km altitude.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhote-Alin_meteorite
Watch the 18-Minute
Documentary On Line
At: http://www.meteorites.com.au/odds&ends/sikhote-alin.html
The biggest SikhoteAlin individual piece
(1745 kg).
From:
http://www.fmm.ru/met
eoren.htm
This Purported Fragment From
The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
Seller’s Description:
Iron Meteorite Sikhote-Alin fall of February 12, 1947 Russia
This is an iron meteorite. This meteorite was a witnessed fall of
February 12,1947 in the Sikhote-Alin mountains of Russia. When
the meteorite fell it literally went off like a grenade very close to the
ground spraying iron meteorite shrapnel fragments all over a
mountain side. So noteworthy was the event that the Soviets issued
a stamp featuring a painting of the fireball. This is one of those
shrapnel fragments, clearly showing the twisting and contorted
appearance of a meteorite torn apart. Weighs 8.73 grams. Size 25
mm
From ECIN Associates. Michael Godier – Proprietor, 151 O'Fallon
Plaza, O'Fallon MO 63366
Is It Genuine ?
Two diamond-blade
saw cuts were made
about here to expose
clean metal surfaces
for X-ray florescence
measurements
X-ray fluorescence :
A nondestructive physical method used for chemical elemental analysis of
materials in the solid or liquid state. The specimen is irradiated by photons of
sufficient energy to cause its elements to emit (fluoresce) their characteristic
x-ray line spectra. The detection system allows the determination of the
energies of the emitted lines and their intensities. Elements in the specimen
are identified by their spectral line energies or wavelengths, and the intensities
are related to their concentrations.
Measurements were conducted by Dave Utrata at CNDE.
This painting by P.I. Medvedev
shows the fall of the Sikhote-Alin
in the morning of February 12,
1947. The painter happened to
look through the window when he
saw the terrifying natural
spectacle and quick-wittedly took
hold of the brush to document
the event.
The Soviet Union issued a
postage stamp based on this
painting to commemorate the
tenth anniversary of the fall.
From: http://www.chiemgauimpact.com/historie.html
Results of X-Ray Fluorescence Measurements
On the Five Available Cleaned Surfaces
This table lists the weight percentages of the four highest metal elements found in the exposed surface.
test type
(instrument setting)
Ni Ni Error
Co Error
Co (%)
(%)
(%)
(%)
Fe
(%)
large piece, cut face
large piece, cut face
large piece, raw face
large piece, raw face
medium piece, cut face
medium piece, cut face
medium piece, cut face
medium piece, cut face
small piece, cut face #1
small piece, cut face #1
small piece, cut face #2
small piece, cut face #2
alloy with Cu/Zn
just "all aloys"
alloy with Cu/Zn
just "all aloys"
alloy with Cu/Zn
just "all aloys"
just "all aloys"
alloy with Cu/Zn
alloy with Cu/Zn
just "all aloys"
just "all aloys"
alloy with Cu/Zn
6.393
6.265
7.148
7.108
5.628
5.794
5.950
5.921
5.882
5.909
6.163
6.015
0.185 0.386
0.180 < LOD
0.187 0.346
0.189 < LOD
0.176 0.360
0.177 0.415
0.180 0.419
0.178 0.516
0.178 0.412
0.178 0.485
0.179 < LOD
0.175 0.378
0.136
0.265
0.132
0.266
0.136
0.136
0.136
0.135
0.135
0.135
0.266
0.131
92.947
93.274
92.241
92.332
93.729
93.551
93.299
93.234
93.480
93.363
93.366
93.376
weight %
ave:
6.181
0.180 0.413
0.167 93.183
Specimen
Fe Error V
(%)
(%)
0.229
0.224
0.228
0.230
0.223
0.224
0.226
0.225
0.223
0.224
0.223
0.219
V Error
(%)
0.056
0.061
0.042
0.044
0.041
0.041
0.052
0.054
0.041
0.041
0.061
0.060
0.010
0.010
0.009
0.009
0.009
0.009
0.010
0.011
0.009
0.009
0.009
0.010
0.225 0.050
0.010
The "all alloys" setting is believed to be the most appropriate here.
Specimen
large piece, cut face
medium piece, cut face
medium piece, cut face
small piece, cut face #1
small piece, cut face #2
test type
(instrument setting)
Ni Ni Error
Co Error
Co (%)
(%)
(%)
(%)
Fe
(%)
just "all aloys"
just "all aloys"
just "all aloys"
just "all aloys"
just "all aloys"
6.265
5.794
5.950
5.909
6.163
0.180 < LOD
0.177 0.415
0.180 0.419
0.178 0.485
0.179 < LOD
0.265
0.136
0.136
0.135
0.266
93.274
93.551
93.299
93.363
93.366
ave:
6.016
0.179 0.440
0.188 93.371
Sikhote-Alin average 5.9%
0.42%
93%
Fe Error V
(%)
(%)
0.224
0.224
0.226
0.224
0.223
V Error
(%)
0.061
0.041
0.052
0.041
0.061
0.010
0.009
0.010
0.009
0.009
0.224 0.051
0.009
0
Based on the measured percentages of Iron, Nickel
and Cobalt, this fragment seems to be consistent
with known Sikhote-Alin composition data.