Scientists Create Unique Model Predicting Strewn Fields of Meteorite Falls

11:10, March 11, 2021

Finnish-Russian group of scientists published their results in Royal Astronomical Society journal

Scientists from the Ural Federal University, the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Institute for Geospatial Research have developed and successfully tested the world's first model that accurately locates meteorites and all their fragments on the Earth's surface. Thus, it is possible to establish the final mass of cosmic matter on our planet.

An article about the model was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The novel model can be used to revise the flux of extra-terrestrial matter onto the Earth, as it provides a possibility of estimating the terminal mass of meteorite fragments reaching the ground.

In previous models, the starting point for calculations was the moment of a meteorite outburst when entering the dense layers of the Earth's atmosphere. At the same time, these models did not reflect the trajectory of the dark flight of the meteorite, after the extinction of its glow. Therefore, the calculations were approximate and, at best, made it possible to determine the location of the fall of only one body, but not its numerous fragments. This made it difficult to search for meteorites and their fragments on the surface of the Earth. Other models gave a schematic representation of the fragmentation of meteoroids, calculated the area of ​​divergence of fragments in the atmosphere only theoretically and for solving practical problems, that is, in predicting the locations of falling samples, were not used.

Created model was retrospectively tested on two events: the fall of the Neuschwanstein meteorite (border of Germany and Austria, 2002) and the Kosice meteorite (Slovakia, 2010). The application of the model made it possible to revise the historical incidences of meteor showers and predict the presence of many previously not found fragments. In addition, using the model, scientists have successfully discovered the Annam meteorites on the Kola Peninsula, Ozerki in the Lipetsk region, Flensburg in Germany, and asteroid 2018LA on the border of Botswana and South Africa.