Sikhote-Alin Meteorites
Fall Recorded: 1947
Location: Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Primorye, Russia
Strewnfield: 1.3 km ellipse
Sikhote-Alin Meteorite (also spelled Sikhotae-Alin)
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite fall was a massive impact event that occurred on February 12, 1947, approximately 440 km northeast of Vladivostok, Russia.
Fall
At around 10:30 am on February 12, 1947, eyewitnesses in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Primorye, Russia, observed a fireball brighter than the sun that came out of the north and descended at an angle of about 41 degrees. The bright flash and the deafening sound of the fall were observed for three hundred kilometers around the point of impact near the village of Paseka (approximately 440 km northeast of Vladivostok). A smoke train, estimated at 32 km long, remained in the sky for several hours. As the meteorite entered the atmosphere, traveling at a speed of about 14 km/s, it began to break apart, and the fragments fell together. At an altitude of about 5.6 km, the largest mass apparently broke up in a violent explosion. The strewn field for this meteorite covered an elliptical area of about 1.3 km. 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.
Description
Specimens of the Sikhote-Alin Meteorite are basically of two types;
(1) Individuals
Individuals are meteorite specimens showing fusion crust and signs of ablation. These first probably broke off of the main object early in the descent. These pieces are characterized by regmaglypts (cavities resembling thumb prints) in the surface of each specimen.
(Ablation is defined as the removal of material from the surface of an object by vaporization, chipping, or other erosive processes. The term occurs in space physics associated with atmospheric reentry)
(2) Shrapnels
Shrapnels are meteorite specimens showing evidence of violent fragmentation. The second type is fragments which were either torn apart in the atmosphere during the descent or blasted apart upon impact. Most were probably the result of the explosion at 5.6 km altitude.
Size
Sikhote-Alin is a massive fall. The overall size has been estimated at just under 900,000 kg. A large specimen is on display in Moscow, and a great number of smaller specimens have made their way into private collections.
Structure and chemical composition
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite is classified as a coarse octahedrite type IIB. 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, rhabites, troilite, chromite, kamacite, and schreibersite. Sikhote-Alin displays a beautiful pattern of Widmanstatten lines when sliced and etched. It is the amount of nickel relative to the amount of iron present that creates this crystalline pattern. This pattern is only present in etched meteorites and is one way of determining the authenticity of a suspected meteorite find.
Iron meteorites are extremely rare. Of all of the meteorites that fall on the earth, scientists estimate that only about five percent are Iron Meteorites.
Item # MSA06119026
Sikhote-Alin Shrapnel 62.5g Iron Meteorite
$136.00
62.5 grams of "Out of This World" Sikhote-Alin shrapnel meteorite
A 62.5 gram natural (just as it was found) Sikhote-Alin Shrapnel Meteorite measuring 40mm x 32.4mm x 16.6mm Nice orientation, flow and some rollover visible on this specimen. This meteorite is natural, un-cut and un-polished with no coatings.
Item # MSA12135675 S
Sikhote-Alin Shrapnel 87.5g Iron Meteorite
$184.00
87.5 grams of "Out of This World" Sikhote-Alin shrapnel meteorite An 87.5 gram natural (just as it was found) Sikhote-Alin Shrapnel Meteorite measuring 40mm x 32.4mm x 16.6mm
Nice orientation, flow and some rollover visible on this specimen. This meteorite is natural, un-cut and un-polished with no coatings.
Item # MSA12133949
Sikhote-Alin Individual 82g with thumb prints
$224.00
Sikhote-Alin nickel-iron meteorite from Russia. Iron Coarsest Octahedrite. It measures 44.6 x 27.9 x 21.2mm and weighs 82g . This nicely shaped specimen is a complete individual. The surface is covered with the smoothly formed small regmaglypts most often sought by collectors. Some of the surface of the specimen is more coarsely textured, while still showing many rounded impressions. This specimen has not been cleaned. The condition is natural and untouched, just the way it was found
Item # 3MSA02226509
Sikhote-Alin Individual 65.5g with thumb prints
$495.00
Sikhote-Alin nickel-iron meteorite from Russia. Iron Coarsest Octahedrite. It measures 46 x 34.5 x 21.6mm and weighs 65.5g . This excellent, nicely shaped specimen is a complete individual. The surface is covered with the smoothly formed small regmaglypts most often sought by collectors. Is has many perfect "Thumb Print" impressions. The reverse of this very fine specimen shows flow lines in two different directions. This is a pristine specimen that has been in our personal collection for decades.