On February 15, 2013, a spectacular bolide streaked across the sky of Siberia and the town of Chelyabinsk. The bolide was so big and bright, that many people ran to their windows to look at it - a minute later a massive shockwave from the impact slammed the city, causing major damage. A factory wall collapsed and thousands of windows were broken by the pressure. Hundreds of people were injured by flying glass and debris.
This was the most devastating meteorite impact in Russia since Tunguska nearly a century ago. Unlike Tunguska (which was likely an icy comet), the Chelyabinsk meteorite was made of dense stone, so many fragments and meteorites survived the impact and are scattered across a large strewnfield. Chelyabinsk has been classified as a highly-shocked LL5 chondrite. I acquired my material from a very reliable source with solid provenance, and these fragments are fresh without any visible oxidation.
Refer to the photo. The black centimeter cube is shown for scale and is not included. You are purchasing a small fragment like the one shown. Your purchase will include a labeled gemjar for safe storage.
From the Meteoritical Bulletin entry on Chelyabinsk :
Chelyabinsk 54°49’N, 61°07’E (approximate centroid)
Chelyabinskaya oblast’, Russia
Fell: 15 Feb 2013; 3:22 UT
Classification: Ordinary chondrite (LL5)
History: At 9:22 a.m. (local time) on February 15, 2013, a bright fireball was seen by numerous residents in parts of the Kurgan, Tyumen, Ekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk districts. Images of the fireball were captured by many video cameras, especially in Chelyabinsk. Residents of the Chelyabinsk district heard the sound of a large explosion. The impact wave destroyed many windows in Chelyabinsk and surrounding cities. Many people were wounded by glass fragments. A part of the roof and a wall of a zinc plant and a stadium in Chelyabinsk were also damaged. Numerous (thousands) stones fell as a shower around Pervomaiskoe, Deputatsky and Yemanzhelinka villages ~40 km S of Chelyabinsk. The meteorite pieces were recovered and collected out of snow by local people immediately after the explosion. The snow cover was about 0.7 m deep. The falling stones formed holes surrounded by firn snow. Largest stones reached the frozen soil. A stone may have broken the ice of Chebarkul Lake, located 70 km W of Chelyabinsk. Small meteorite fragments were found around the 8 m hole in the ice but divers did not find any stones on the lake bottom.
