[meteorite-list] Small fragments of meteorite on ice in lake?

From: Robin Whittle <rw_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:00:01 +1100
Message-ID: <511F2061.3010808_at_firstpr.com.au>

This page:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-15/russians-panic-as-meteor-shower-rains-down/4521958

  http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4522768-3x2-940x627.jpg

has a photo of small black fragments ~12mm across on the ice, presumably
near the hole in the lake: "A ruler is used to examine fragments said by
the Interior Ministry to be from the meteor (Reuters: Chelyabinsk region
Interior Ministry)".

Using Google image search I haven't found any other source of this photo.

I assume this is the same hole as depicted here:

  http://rt.com/news/scientists-explain-chelyabinsk-bolide-337/

"A Russian policeman works near an ice hole, said by the Interior
Ministry department for Chelyabinsk region to be the point of impact of
a meteor seen earlier in the Urals region, at lake Chebarkul some 80
kilometers (50 miles) west of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013 (Reuters /
Chelyabinsk region Interior Ministry)"

This page also shows weather satellite images of the meteor.

I haven't seen any more details about the zinc warehouse which was
severely damaged. A widely circulated photo shows a cloud of grey smoke
from inside the factory, which would not seem to be consistent with the
idea that the wall was simply blown down by the shockwave from
appoximately above. However, I think this was in Chelyabinsk, and I
understand the main or only path of the meteor was many km above this
area, so it seems unlikely that a fragment would have hit the ground there.

Lake Chebarkul is about 70km west and a little south of Chelyabinsk:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Lake+Chebarkul&hl=en&ll=55.044942,60.395622&spn=0.15205,0.271912&geocode=+&t=h&z=12

I haven't yet seen a map of the trajectory.

Here are two attempts at making such a map based on a weather satellite
image, though it is not clear that they have corrected for parallax:


http://attivissimo.blogspot.ch/2013/02/russian-meteor-path-plotted-in-google.html

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/hurizen/8475727383/

I guess the image only shows the initial part of the smoke trail or
light, since it seems the meteor went pretty much over the city of
Chelyabinsk. If so, then this track would go roughly westwards and a
little to the south, towards Miass, which would take it over the Lake
Chebarkul area.

  - Robin
Received on Sat 16 Feb 2013 01:00:01 AM PST