13,000 Tons of Chelyabinsk Meteorite Dispersed on Earth During Fall

11:17, February 17, 2023

Victor Grokhovsky, Professor of the University, told about it

13 thousand tons of the Chelyabinsk meteorite spread over the Earth during its fall. Victor Grokhovsky, Professor of the Department of Physical Techniques and Devices for Quality Control at the Ural Federal University, member of the Meteorite Committee of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the International Meteorite Society, told TASS at a press conference.

"Scientific readings "Chelyabinsk Meteorite. 10 Years on Earth" was held at the Ural Federal University. The task of the conference was to summarize from the point of view of different branches of science what we have learned for 10 years. For example, where did 99.99% of tons of matter go? Thirteen thousand tons flew in, but only two were collected. The explanation was provided by colleagues from the Institute of Geosphere Dynamics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. When an object enters the atmosphere at high speed, a kind of furnace tube is formed. Everything that burned did not immediately fall to the surface of the planet. These burning fragments rose into the atmosphere and stabilized at an altitude of 60-80 km. This cloud of meteorites circled the Earth three times before settling down," says Victor Grokhovsky.

According to Grigory Yakovlev, Junior Researcher at the UrFU Extra Terra Consortium Research Laboratory, the substance is still slowly falling off in the form of dust and micrometeorites, which can be found in the Northern Hemisphere.

"The original object that entered the Earth's atmosphere was about 20 meters in diameter. The vast majority of this matter dispersed into the air. You can try to find these oxidized particles that are deposited or have been deposited for a long time. The problem is that meteorites fall all the time. It is impossible to prove that this particular microparticle belongs to Chelyabinsk. You cannot always prove that it is a micrometeorite in front of you and not some oxide from the nearest factory. It is almost impossible to find a one-kilogram piece," explains Grigory Yakovlev.

Scientists have calculated that the supposed periodicity of a meteorite fall is once every thirty years. Although there have not been many real events, scientists around the world are tracking extraterrestrial bodies that may come close to Earth. Astronomers track more than 30,000 space objects larger than 140 meters that cross our planet's orbit. The nearest large extraterrestrial object - the asteroid Apophis (diameter 325 meters and weighing about 30 thousand tons). It will approach in 2029 and will pass between the Moon and Earth.

Employees of the UrFU Extra Terra Consortium Laboratory made a "gift" to Chelyabinsk residents on February 14. Scientists registered a new meteorite found in the Chelyabinsk region in the Agapovsky district near Magnitogorsk. It was named Gumbeyka, after the nearest settlement.

Reference

On February 15, 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteorite entered the Earth's atmosphere, causing a massive explosion. The largest fragments fell into the Chebarkul lake. They were exhibited in the Historical Museum of the South Urals. Over the past 10 years more than 500 works on various aspects of this event have been published. In Russia a number of conferences were held and five books were published. Administrations and organizations of Chelyabinsk, Miass and Chebarkul made efforts to start scientific meetings devoted to the Chelyabinsk meteorite.

Scientific reading "Chelyabinsk Meteorite. 10 Years on Earth", took place on February 15 at the Ural Federal University. Participants of the conference told about the results of studies of the meteorite carried out for 10 years. In particular, scientists explained the phenomenon of "snow carrots" that were found during the search for the Chelyabinsk meteorite. They also explained where the substance of the meteorite went, what exotic carbon microcrystals were found in the dust of the Chelyabinsk superbolide. They also told how the Chebarkul lake was investigated, how the meteorite was formed and how its substance was transformed.

The news article was translated by UrFU International Marketing Office. 
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