Loud explosion shakes houses as meteorite hits Thunder Bay, Ontario

A loud explosion that shook houses in Ontario's Thunder Bay, Canada late Wednesday, December 13, 2017 appears to be caused by a meteorite that hit the ground near Highway 61, creating a 75 cm (30 inches) wide crater. The loud boom could be indicative of a larger object that broke up and there could be other fragments in the area.

Thunder Bay officers were dispatched to the area of Highway 61 and Mount Forest Boulevard at about 23:00 local time after receiving a phone call about a loud explosion.

A 75 cm (30 inches) wide hole was soon found in a snow on one side of the road, with a pile of 'rock-like substance' in the center, the police say. "We checked the area and no footprints or vehicle tracks were found."

As reported by the CBC, the police contacted Lakehead University, which in turn dispatched a retired geology professor Stephen Kissin to the scene on Thursday morning.

However, it appears somebody took the object before Kissin arrived as there was no meteorite in the crater when he arrived. "The hole looked as though it was caused by a meteorite crashing to Earth," Kissin said.

Kissin said he thought police officers had removed the object, but Thunder Bay police told CBC News they don't know where the meteorite is and are looking into it.

"This would be the first recorded meteorite fall in northern Ontario. The loud boom could be indicative of a larger object that broke up and there could be other fragments in the area," Kissin said.

Featured image: Crater on Highway 61 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada after meteorite hits the ground on December 13, 2017. Image copyright: CBC