Meteorites have hit the earth countless times. There were also those that could completely cross out the very fact of the existence of dinosaurs. But the events that took place were so long ago that it is not possible to find the remains of these cobblestones.
Meteorite Tsarev
In December 1922, residents of the Astrakhan province were able to watch a stone fall from the sky: eyewitnesses said that the fireball was huge and made a deafening noise in flight.After that, an explosion was heard, and it started to rain from stones the next day, the farmers who lived in that area found fragments of stones of a strange shape and appearance in their fields. 
In total, 82 chondrite meteorites were found, and the fragments were scattered over an area of 25 km2. The largest piece weighs 284 kg, while the smallest is only 50 grams. 
Goba meteorite
The largest whole meteorite in the world is the Goba meteorite: it is located in Namibia and is a block weighing about 60 tons. The surface of the meteorite is iron without any impurities.
Only dinosaurs could observe the fall of Goba to Earth: it fell on our planet in prehistoric times and was buried underground for a long time, until in 1920 a local farmer discovered it while plowing a field.
Now the object has been given the status of a national monument, and anyone can see it for a small fee. It is believed that when it fell, it weighed 90 tons.
Allende meteorite
The meteorite fell to Earth on February 8, 1969 in the Mexican state of Chihuahua - it is considered the largest carbonaceous meteorite on the planet, and at the time of its fall its mass was about five tons.
To date, Allende is the most studied meteorite in the world: its fragments are stored in many museums around the world, and it is notable primarily for being the oldest discovered body in the Solar System, whose age has been accurately established - it is about 4.5 billion years old.
Sikhote-Alin meteorite
On February 12, 1947, a huge block fell in the Ussuri taiga - the event could be observed by the inhabitants of the village of Beitsukhe in the Primorsky Territory: as always happens in the case of a meteorite fall, witnesses spoke of a huge fireball, the appearance and explosion of which was followed by a rain of iron fragments, fell over an area of 35 km².
The meteorite did not cause significant damage, however, it broke through a series of funnels in the ground, the depth of one of which was six meters. It is assumed that the mass of the meteorite at the time of entry into the Earth's atmosphere ranged from 60 to 100 tons: the largest fragment found weighs 23 tons and is considered one of the ten largest meteorites in the world.
Tunguska meteorite
On June 17, 1908, at seven o'clock local time, an air explosion with a capacity of about 50 megatons occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River - this power corresponds to the explosion of a hydrogen bomb.
The explosion and the subsequent blast wave were recorded by observatories all over the world, huge trees on the territory of 2000 km² from the alleged epicenter were uprooted, and not a single whole glass was left in the houses of the inhabitants. After that, for several more days, the sky and clouds in the area shone, including at night.
Every day, up to 6 tons of meteorites fall to Earth: some of them cause serious damage, others scatter in the atmosphere. The catalog of meteorites contains about 23 thousand objects. We will mark the most curious space aliens.
The oldest and largest
Officially, the oldest meteorite that has reached the Earth's surface is considered to be a space object discovered on Mount Huashitai near the Chinese city of Xi'an. According to scientists, he fell to Earth about 2 billion years ago. Interestingly, the inhabitants of these places from ancient times revered Mount Huashitai as sacred.
This meteorite can also be called the largest. Chinese scientists estimated the dimensions of the celestial giant - 160x50x60 meters, with a weight of almost 200 tons. To get to the core of the meteorite, scientists had to drill a hole 50 meters long.
Today, China's first meteorite park has been opened at the crash site of a cosmic body, where visitors can increase their knowledge of unusual celestial aliens.
The most "iron"
In 1920, on the territory of present-day Namibia, the farmer Jacob Germanus, plowing the land, stumbled upon a huge stone block - he did not know that he had discovered a meteorite. The heavenly guest was named after the nearby Hoba West Farm. The meteorite mainly consists of iron, due to which, despite its rather modest size - a diameter of 2.5 meters and a volume of 9 cubic meters. meters - its weight reaches 6o tons.
According to scientists, the meteorite fell about 80 thousand years ago. It is curious that for its dimensions it left too small a crater, but most likely, according to scientists, the object had a small angle of incidence, and before colliding with the Earth's surface, it greatly slowed down its speed. The possibility of such a fall is also confirmed by the shape of the celestial body - it is flat on both sides.
From the moment the meteorite turned into a landmark, according to experts, it has lost at least 6 tons - the result of the actions of vandals, who all strive to chip off a piece for themselves as a keepsake. To somehow prevent the meteorite from being stolen for souvenirs local authorities in 1955 it was declared a national monument.
The most mysterious
The catastrophe that happened on June 30, 1908 in the sky over Siberia in the region of Podkamennaya Tunguska is associated with the fall of a meteorite. The explosion, which occurred at an altitude of about 5-10 kilometers, was so powerful that it was recorded by observatories around the world. According to scientists, the power of the explosion was 40-50 kilotons - this corresponds to the power of a hydrogen bomb.
A blast wave in a radius of 40 kilometers knocked down a forest, and flows of combustible gases provoked a severe fire. Due to the clouds formed after the passage of the celestial body on the line from the Southern Yenisei to the French city of Bordeaux, the effect of “bright nights” could be observed for several days. This phenomenon became possible due to the intense reflection of the sun's rays by the clouds.
Place of the disaster Tunguska meteorite visited several research expeditions, but no fragments unambiguously belonging to a celestial body were found, with the exception of microscopic silicate and magnetite balls, which are attributed to extraterrestrial origin. A number of other finds at the crash site - conical holes in the ground and quartz cobblestones with mysterious signs still baffle scientists.
The largest meteor shower
In March 1976, the inhabitants of the Chinese province of Jilin literally fell "stone rain" that lasted more than half an hour. However, despite the intensity of the meteorite bombardment, there were no reports of damage.
Scientists have found that the speed of the meteor shower was approximately 12 km / s, and the weight of its fragments reached 12.5 kg. Later, the largest of the objects was also discovered - a 1.7-ton meteorite, named Jirin.
As a rule, meteor showers are possible during the destruction due to severe overheating in the upper atmosphere of a larger meteorite. This is evidenced by the testimony of eyewitnesses who reported a strong cannonade of explosions before the fall of stones.
The most unusual
In 1980 on the territory of the Soviet military base near the town of Kaydun in Yemen, a seemingly unremarkable meteorite the size of a fist fell, if not for one circumstance: it was not like any of the meteorites found so far. According to an employee of the Institute of Geochemistry. Vernadsky Andrei Ivanov, this two-kilogram meteorite most likely flew to us from Phobos, a satellite of Mars.
Studies using an electron microscope have shown that the body of a space guest consists of substances that are completely different both in origin and in chemical properties, it also contained fragments of volcanic rocks and a high carbon content.
American scientist Michael Zolensky suggests that carbonaceous matter is a consequence of the "asteroid past of Phobos", and volcanic fragments hit the meteorite from Mars.
The most "alive"
The meteorite that fell in 1969 near the Australian town of Murchison does not differ in special dimensions - 108 kilograms, but it is known for having more than 14 thousand stars. organic compounds, including about 70 amino acids. True, a real debate arose about the latter, since some scientists considered that some amino acids got into the celestial body from the earth's soil.
The debate continued for 27 years until American scientists conducted a decisive experiment, during which they proved that the ratio organic matter in a meteorite "is different from that characteristic of all terrestrial objects." The Murchison meteorite is primarily of interest to those who believe that life on Earth occurred due to the introduction of organic compounds from outer space.
The largest collection of meteorites
The ice shell of Antarctica is an ideal place to discover the remains of celestial bodies, since its white surface does not allow anything to escape the gaze of researchers. Scientists have calculated that about 700 thousand meteorites are scattered on the surface of the continent - here you can find real "deposits" of stellar matter. In the places of the greatest accumulation of space objects, according to scientists, "meteorites are literally lying under their feet."
Early February morning in 2013 unexpectedly became tragic for 1613 residents of Chelyabinsk and its environs. So many people affected by fallen meteorite in the history of the population of the Earth has not yet been. During the impact, windows were broken in many buildings, trees were broken and people were injured to varying degrees of severity, as a result of which about 1,613 people were recognized as victims, of which, according to various sources, from 50 to 100 people ended up in hospitals. People who watched the fall of the meteorite that morning were simply shocked by the events taking place. The first versions of what was happening sounded like: a plane crash, a rocket crash and even an alien attack ...
At the moment, the picture of the events of that tragic morning has been fully restored and it is reliably known when and where the meteorite fell in Chelyabinsk.
How it was
At about 9 a.m. on February 15, this “unexpected guest” appeared high in the sky over Chelyabinsk, as a result of which a regime was declared in Chelyabinsk and its nearby environs. emergency. Previously, the same meteorite was observed by residents of other regions. Russian Federation, but they were much more fortunate than the residents of Chelyabinsk, because he simply flew past them without causing absolutely no harm. For example, at 7.15 Moscow time or at 9.15 local time, residents of the Aktobe and Kostanay regions of Kazakhstan saw it, and residents of Orenburg observed this amazing phenomenon at 7.21 Moscow time. This meteorite was also clearly visible in Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Tyumen and their environs, and even 750 km from the place of impact in the village of Prosvet, Volzhsky district, Samara region.
Bright flash
According to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a meteorite weighing about 10 tons and a diameter of about 17 meters, with a speed of 17 km / s, entered the Earth's atmosphere and after 32 seconds split into many pieces. The destruction of the meteorite was accompanied by a series of explosions, the first of three explosions was the strongest and caused the destruction. It was a bright flash, it lasted about five seconds, and a minute later it came to Earth in the form of a destructive wave. According to scientists, the destruction of the meteorite led to the release of energy, which was approximately equal to 100 to 500 kilotons of TNT. The center of the explosion was not the city of Chelyabinsk itself, but its area, which is located a little to the south and is called Yemanzhelinsk - Yuzhnouralsk.
Locations of the fall of fragments
As a result of research conducted by a specially created group, four places were discovered where fragments of the meteorite are supposed to be located. The first two places are in the Chebarkul region Chelyabinsk region, the third in the Zlatoust region, and the fourth in the area of \u200b\u200bLake Chebarkul. The information that the meteorite is located in the lake was confirmed by the fishermen who were at the crash site. From their stories, members of the search group learned that at the moment the meteorite fell into the lake, a column of water and ice about 3-4 meters high rose from it.
Second largest after Tunguska
As a result of the work carried out in the area of Emanzhelinsk and the village of Travniki, about a hundred fragments were found, and about 3 kg of fragments were collected in the lake area. All of them are currently being studied by scientists, according to whom, the meteorite that fell in Chelyabinsk is the second largest after the Tunguska meteorite that fell on the territory of Russia on June 30, 1908.
Full cut video from the event
In a previous post, an assessment of the danger of an asteroid threat from space was given. And here we will consider what will happen if (when) a meteorite of one size or another still falls to Earth.
The scenario and consequences of such an event as a fall to the Earth of a cosmic body, of course, depends on many factors. We list the main ones:
Space body size
This factor, of course, is paramount. Armageddon on our planet can arrange a meteorite 20 kilometers in size, so in this post we will consider scenarios for the fall of cosmic bodies on the planet ranging in size from a grain of dust to 15-20 km. More - it makes no sense, since in this case the scenario will be simple and obvious.
Compound
Small bodies solar system may have different composition and density. Therefore, there is a difference whether a stone or iron meteorite falls to the Earth, or a loose comet nucleus consisting of ice and snow. Accordingly, in order to inflict the same damage, the comet nucleus must be two to three times larger than the asteroid fragment (at the same fall velocity).
For reference: more than 90 percent of all meteorites are stone.
Speed
Also a very important factor in the collision of bodies. After all, here there is a transition of the kinetic energy of motion into thermal energy. And the speed of entry of cosmic bodies into the atmosphere can vary significantly (from about 12 km / s to 73 km / s, for comets - even more).
The slowest meteorites are those that are catching up with the Earth or being overtaken by it. Accordingly, those flying to meet us will add their speed to orbital speed Earths will pass through the atmosphere much faster, and the explosion from their impact on the surface will be many times more powerful.
Where will it fall
At sea or on land. It is difficult to say in which case the destruction will be greater, everything will just be different.
A meteorite may fall into storage nuclear weapons or to a nuclear power plant, then harm to environment may be more from radioactive contamination than from a meteorite impact (if relatively small).
Angle of incidence
Doesn't play a big role. At those huge speeds at which the cosmic body crashes into the planet, it does not matter at what angle it falls, since in any case the kinetic energy of motion will turn into thermal energy and be released in the form of an explosion. This energy does not depend on the angle of incidence, but only on mass and velocity. Therefore, by the way, all craters (on the Moon, for example) have a circular shape, and there are absolutely no craters in the form of some trenches drilled at an acute angle.
How do bodies of different diameters behave when they fall to the Earth
Up to several centimeters
They burn up completely in the atmosphere, leaving a bright trail several tens of kilometers long (a well-known phenomenon called meteor). The largest of them reach heights of 40-60 km, but most of these "dust particles" burn out at an altitude of more than 80 km. 
A massive phenomenon - within just 1 hour, millions (!!) of meteors flare up in the atmosphere. But, taking into account the brightness of the flares and the radius of the observer's view, at night in one hour you can see from a few to dozens of meteors (during meteor showers - more than a hundred). During the day, the mass of dust from meteors that has settled on the surface of our planet is estimated in hundreds, and even thousands of tons.
From centimeters to several meters
Fireballs- the brightest meteors, the brightness of the flash of which exceeds the brightness of the planet Venus. The flash may be accompanied by noise effects up to the sound of an explosion. After that, a smoky trail is left in the sky.
Fragments of cosmic bodies of this size reach the surface of our planet. It happens like this:
At the same time, stone meteoroids, and especially icy ones, are usually crushed into fragments from the explosion and heating. Metal can withstand pressure and fall to the surface entirely:
Iron meteorite "Goba" about 3 meters in size, which fell "entirely" 80 thousand years ago on the territory of modern Namibia (Africa) If the speed of entry into the atmosphere was very high (oncoming trajectory), then such meteoroids are much less likely to reach the surface, since the force of their friction against the atmosphere will be much greater. The number of fragments into which the meteoroid breaks up can reach hundreds of thousands, the process of their fall is called meteor Rain.
Several tens of small (about 100 grams) fragments of meteorites can fall to Earth in the form of cosmic precipitation per day. Given that most of them fall into the ocean, and in general, they are difficult to distinguish from ordinary stones, they are quite rare to find.
The number of entries into our atmosphere of cosmic bodies about a meter in size is several times a year. If you are lucky, and the fall of such a body will be noticed, there is a chance to find decent fragments weighing hundreds of grams, or even kilograms.
17 meters - Chelyabinsk fireball
Superbolide- this is sometimes called especially powerful explosions of meteoroids, like the one that exploded in February 2013 over Chelyabinsk. According to various expert estimates, the initial size of the body that entered the atmosphere then varies, on average it is estimated at 17 meters. Weight - about 10,000 tons. 
The object entered the Earth's atmosphere at a very sharp angle (15-20°) at a speed of about 20 km/sec. It exploded in half a minute at an altitude of about 20 km. The power of the explosion was several hundred kilotons of TNT. This is 20 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, but here the consequences were not so fatal because the explosion occurred at a high altitude and the energy was dispersed over a large area, largely far from settlements.
Less than a tenth of the initial mass of the meteoroid reached the Earth, that is, about a ton or less. The fragments scattered over an area more than 100 km long and about 20 km wide. Many small fragments were found, several weighing kilograms, the largest piece weighing 650 kg was raised from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul: 
Damage: almost 5,000 buildings were damaged (mostly broken glass and frames), about 1.5 thousand people were injured by glass fragments. 
A body of this size could easily reach the surface without falling apart into fragments. This did not happen due to the too acute angle of entry, because before exploding, the meteoroid flew several hundred kilometers in the atmosphere. If the Chelyabinsk meteoroid had fallen vertically, then instead of an air shock wave that broke the glass, there would have been a powerful impact on the surface, resulting in a seismic shock, with the formation of a crater with a diameter of 200-300 meters. About the damage and the number of victims, in this case, judge for yourself, everything would depend on the place of the fall.
Concerning repetition rate of similar events, then after the Tunguska meteorite of 1908, this is the largest celestial body that fell to Earth. That is, one or more such guests from outer space can be expected in one century.
Tens of meters are small asteroids
Children's toys are over, let's move on to more serious things.
If you read the previous post, then you know that the small bodies of the solar system up to 30 meters in size are called meteoroids, more than 30 meters - asteroids.
If an asteroid, even the smallest one, meets the Earth, then it will definitely not fall apart in the atmosphere and its speed will not slow down to the speed of free fall, as happens with meteoroids. All the huge energy of its movement will be released in the form of an explosion - that is, it will turn into thermal energy , which will melt the asteroid itself, and mechanical, which will create a crater, scatter earth rock and fragments of the asteroid itself around, and also create a seismic wave.
To quantify the magnitude of such a phenomenon, consider an asteroid crater in Arizona as an example: 
This crater was formed 50 thousand years ago from the impact of an iron asteroid with a diameter of 50-60 meters. The force of the explosion was 8000 Hiroshima, the diameter of the crater is 1.2 km, the depth is 200 meters, the edges rise above the surrounding surface by 40 meters.
Another event comparable in scale is the Tunguska meteorite. The power of the explosion was 3000 Hiroshima, but here there was a fall of a small comet nucleus with a diameter of tens to hundreds of meters, according to various estimates. Comet nuclei are often compared to dirty snow cakes, so in this case no crater appeared, the comet exploded in the air and evaporated, knocking down a forest over an area of 2 thousand square kilometers. If the same comet exploded over the center of modern Moscow, it would destroy all the houses up to the ring road.
Fall frequency asteroids tens of meters in size - once every few centuries, hundred meters - once every several thousand years.
300 meters - Apophis asteroid (the most dangerous known at the moment)
Although, according to the latest data from NASA, the probability of the Apophis asteroid hitting the Earth during its passage near our planet in 2029 and then in 2036 is almost zero, we still consider the scenario of the consequences of its possible fall, since there are many asteroids that have not yet been discovered, and such an event can still happen, not this time, but another time.
So .. the asteroid Apophis, contrary to all forecasts, falls to Earth ..
The power of the explosion is 15,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. When it hits the mainland, an impact crater appears with a diameter of 4-5 km and a depth of 400-500 meters, the shock wave demolishes all brick buildings in a zone with a radius of 50 km, less durable buildings, as well as trees fall at a distance of 100-150 kilometers from the place fall. A column of dust rises into the sky like a mushroom from nuclear explosion several kilometers high, then the dust begins to spread into different sides, and spreads evenly over the entire planet within a few days. 
But, despite the greatly exaggerated horror stories that the media usually scare people with, nuclear winter and the end of the world will not come - the caliber of "Apophis" is too small for this. According to the experience of powerful volcanic eruptions that took place in a not very long history, in which huge emissions of dust and ash into the atmosphere also occur, with such an explosion power, the effect of "nuclear winter" will be small - a drop in the average temperature on the planet by 1-2 degrees, through six months to a year everything returns to its place.
That is, this is not a catastrophe of a global, but a regional scale - if Apophis gets into a small country, he will completely destroy it.
When Apophis enters the ocean, coastal areas will suffer from the tsunami. The height of the tsunami will depend on the distance to the place of impact - the initial wave will have a height of about 500 meters, but if Apophis falls into the center of the ocean, then 10-20-meter waves will reach the coast, which is also a lot, and the storm lasts with such mega- waves will be several hours. If the impact into the ocean occurs close to the coast, then surfers in coastal (and not only) cities will be able to ride such a wave: (sorry for the dark humor) 
Recurrence frequency events of this magnitude in the history of the Earth is measured in tens of thousands of years.
Let's move on to global catastrophes ..
1 kilometer
The scenario is the same as during the fall of Apophis, only the scale of the consequences is many times more serious and already reaches the global catastrophe of the low threshold (the consequences are felt by all mankind, but there is no threat of the death of civilization):
The power of the explosion in "Hiroshima": 50,000, the size of the crater formed when it fell to land: 15-20 km. The radius of the destruction zone from the explosive and seismic waves: up to 1000 km.
When falling into the ocean, again, it all depends on the distance to the coast, since the resulting waves will be very high (1-2 km), but not long, and such waves fade rather quickly. But in any case, the area of flooded territories will be huge - millions of square kilometers.
The decrease in the transparency of the atmosphere in this case from emissions of dust and ash (or water vapor falling into the ocean) will be noticeable over several years. If you enter a seismically dangerous zone, the consequences can be aggravated by earthquakes provoked by the explosion.
However, an asteroid of this diameter will not be able to noticeably tilt the earth's axis or affect the period of rotation of our planet.
Despite not all the drama of this scenario, for the Earth this is a rather ordinary event, since it has already happened thousands of times throughout its existence. Average repetition frequency- once every 200-300 thousand years.
An asteroid with a diameter of 10 kilometers is a global catastrophe on a planetary scale
- The power of the explosion in "Hiroshima": 50 million
- The size of the crater formed when falling on land: 70-100 km, depth - 5-6 km.
- cracking depth earth's crust will be tens of kilometers, that is, up to the mantle (the thickness of the earth's crust under the plains is on average 35 km). Magma will come to the surface.
- The area of the destruction zone can be several percent of the Earth's area.
- During the explosion, a cloud of dust and molten rock will rise to a height of tens of kilometers, possibly up to a hundred. The volume of ejected materials - several thousand cubic kilometers - is enough for a light "asteroid autumn", but not enough for an "asteroid winter" and the beginning of an ice age.
- Secondary craters and tsunamis from fragments and large pieces of ejected rock.
- Slight, but by geological standards, a decent slope earth's axis from impact - up to 1/10 of a degree.
- When it hits the ocean - a tsunami with kilometer-long (!!) waves that go far deep into the continents.
- In the case of intense eruptions of volcanic gases, acid rain is possible later.
But this is not quite Armageddon yet! Even such grandiose catastrophes our planet has already experienced dozens or even hundreds of times. On average, this happens one once every 100 million years. If this happened at the present time, the number of victims would be unprecedented, in the worst case it could be measured in billions of people, moreover, it is not known what social upheavals this would lead to. However, despite the period of acid rain and several years of some cooling due to a decrease in the transparency of the atmosphere, in 10 years the climate and the biosphere would have fully recovered.
Armageddon
For such a significant event in the history of mankind, an asteroid the size of 15-20 kilometers in the amount of 1 piece.
The next ice age will come, most of the living organisms will die, but life on the planet will continue, although it will no longer be the same as before. As always, the fittest will survive.
Such events have also happened more than once since the emergence of life on it, Armageddons have happened at least a few, and maybe dozens of times. It is believed that the last time this happened 65 million years ( Chicxulub meteorite), when dinosaurs and almost all other species of living organisms died, only 5% of the elect remained, including our ancestors. 
Full Armageddon
If a cosmic body the size of Texas crashes into our planet, as was the case in the famous film with Bruce Willis, then even bacteria will not survive (although, who knows?), life will have to arise and evolve again. 
Conclusion
I wanted to write a review post about meteorites, but the scenarios of Armageddon turned out. Therefore, I want to say that all the events described, starting with Apophis (inclusive), are considered as theoretically possible, since they will definitely not happen in the next hundred years at least. Why this is so is detailed in the previous post.
I also want to add that all the figures given here regarding the correspondence between the size of the meteorite and the consequences of its fall to Earth are very approximate. The data in different sources differ, plus the initial factors in the fall of an asteroid of the same diameter can vary greatly. For example, everywhere it is written that the size of the Chicxulub meteorite is 10 km, but in one, as it seemed to me, authoritative source, I read that a 10-kilometer stone could not do such troubles, so my Chicxulub meteorite entered the 15-20 km category .
So, if suddenly Apophis still falls in the 29th or 36th year, and the radius of the affected area will be very different from what is written here - write, I will correct
In 1790, the fall of a meteorite to Earth was recorded for the first time. Indeed, scientists from Paris Academy sciences recognized the fact of the collision of a comic body with the surface of our planet only 13 years later, at first considering the testimony of three hundred eyewitnesses as a joke. In this collection - the most sensational meteorites in the history of mankind.
Goba: the largest meteorite ever found (Namibia)
The largest meteorite found weighs more than 60 tons, and its diameter is about 3 meters. He fell into the territory of modern Namibia, presumably 80 thousand years ago. The celestial body was discovered relatively recently - in 1920, the owner of the Hoba West Farm, located in the southwest of the country, stumbled upon a huge piece of iron while plowing one of his fields. In honor of the farm, the find was named.
Composed of 84% iron, the meteorite is considered the largest nugget of this metal found on Earth. In order to prevent vandalism, in 1955 it was declared a national monument, because since the discovery, the mass of Gob has decreased by 6 tons. In 1987, the owner of the farm donated the meteorite and the land on which it is located to the state, and now the government of Namibia monitors its safety.
Allende: the most studied among meteorites (Mexico)
The unsuspecting residents of the city of Chihuahua woke up around one in the morning on February 8, 1969. They were awakened by noise and a bright flash resulting from the fall of a 5-ton meteorite. A lot of fragments scattered over tens of kilometers, the total weight of which is estimated at 2-3 tons. collected pieces“scattered” to institutes and museums of the world.
Scientists say that Allende (Spanish: Allende) is the largest and most studied of the recorded carbonaceous meteorites. The report of American astrophysicists from the Livermore National Laboratory of the US Department of Energy states that the age of calcium-aluminum inclusions, which are rich in meteorite, is approximately 4.6 billion years, that is, more than the age of any of the planets in the solar system.
Murchison meteorite: the most "alive" meteorite found on Earth (Australia)
Named after the Australian city near which it fell in 1969, the Murchison meteorite is believed to be the most "alive" meteorite found on Earth. This is due to more than 14 thousand organic compounds that make up the 108-kilogram carbonaceous stone, including at least 70 different amino acids.
Research led by Philipp Schmitt-Kopplin of the Institute for Environmental Chemistry in Germany claims that the meteorite contains millions of different kinds of organic molecules, which proves the existence of amino acids outside of our planet. According to scientists, the age of the meteorite is 4.65 billion years, that is, it was formed before the appearance of the Sun, whose age is estimated at 4.57 billion years.
Sikhote-Alin meteorite: one of the largest observed during the fall (Russia)
One of largest meteorites peace fell in Primorsky Krai in the Sikhote-Alin mountains in February 1947. The dazzling fireball he caused was observed in Khabarovsk and other settlements within a radius of 400 km. An iron body weighing 23 tons disintegrated in the atmosphere into many fragments in the form of a meteor shower.
The fragments formed on the surface of the Earth more than 30 craters from 7 to 28 m in diameter and up to 6 meters deep. The largest fragment of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite weighs about 1,745 kg. The pilots of the Far Eastern Geological Administration were the first to report the place where the celestial body fell. Chemical analysis showed 94% iron in the composition of the meteorite.
ALH84001: the most famous Martian meteorite (Antarctica)
This name hides perhaps the most famous of the 34 Martian meteorites found on Earth. It was discovered on December 27, 1984 in the Alan Hills mountains in Antarctica (the name of the mountains is recorded in the name with a three-letter abbreviation). According to studies, the age of the alien body is from 3.9 to 4.5 billion years. A meteorite weighing 1.93 kg fell to Earth about 13 thousand years ago.
There is a hypothesis according to which it broke away from the surface of Mars during the collision of the planet with a large cosmic body. In 1996 NASA scientists published sensational data suggesting the existence of traces of life on Mars. When scanning meteorite structures with a scanning electron microscope, microscopic structures were revealed that can also be interpreted as petrified traces of bacteria.
Tunguska meteorite: the most "powerful" meteorite (Russia)
One of the world's most famous meteorites hit the Earth in 1908, exploding at an altitude of 5 - 7 kilometers above Eastern Siberia. An explosion with a capacity of 40 megatons knocked down trees on an area of more than 2 thousand square kilometers near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. Its blast wave doubled around Earth, leaving behind a glow in the sky for several days. In addition, a series of consequences of the cataclysm was completed by a powerful magnetic storm that lasted five hours.
Several Italian scientists have hypothesized that the Tunguska crater may be Lake Cheko on the Kimchu River, which is located 8 km northwest of the epicenter of the explosion.
Lake Cheko on the Kimchu River
Chelyabinsk meteorite: No. 2 after Tunguska (Russia)
According to NASA estimates, the Chelyabinsk meteorite is the largest known celestial body that has fallen to Earth since the Tunguska meteorite. They started talking about him on February 15 and do not stop discussing six months later. Exploding in the sky above Chelyabinsk at an altitude of 23 km, the meteorite caused a powerful shock wave, which, as in the case of the Tunguska meteorite, circled the globe twice.
Before the explosion, the meteorite weighed about 10,000 tons and had a diameter of 17 meters, and after that it shattered into hundreds of fragments, the largest of which weighed half a ton. The space guest, who brought world fame to the region, is planned to be immortalized in the form of a monument.
A fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite found near Yemanzhelinsk. Weight is 112.2 g.