Meteorite hits the town of Sanchore, leaving a 30 cm (1 foot) crater in the ground, Rajasthan
A metallic meteorite-like object reportedly fell from the sky in the Indian state of Rajasthan on June 19, 2020, leaving a 30 cm (1 foot) crater in the ground and causing explosive sound heard several kilometers away.
According to local media reports, the object fell from the sky in an open field at around 07:00 local time on Friday morning, June 19, 2020, in the town of Sanchore, Rajasthan's Jalore district, India.
The impact was followed by an explosive sound heard at least 2 km (1.2 miles) away.
#BigNews |A very rare and valuable #Meteorite of 2.78 kg was found in Jalore district's #Sanchore earlier today in #Rajasthan. Locals heard a loud sound when this mysterious metal collapsed.A team of geologist examining this object. Every year over 17000 meteorites hit the earth. pic.twitter.com/q8pPGyaFXL
— Arun Mukherjee (@Arunstockguru) June 19, 2020
The recovered object weighs around 2.8 kg (6.2 pounds) and is predominantly iron (85.86%) and nickel (10.23%). Other elements include platinum (0.5%), germanium (0.02%), antimony (0.01%), and niobium (0.01%), a local jeweler said after examining the object in the presence of police and administration.
The object was placed in a jar and sent for further investigation.
A local named Ajmal Devasi said he heard a massive sound in the morning. "It was as if an airplane had crashed. However, no one could spot what had fallen. It was only after some time that the object was noticed in a one-foot-deep pit in the ground. It had fallen about 100 meters (330 feet) from my house. We immediately informed local authorities."
"I was standing on the balcony of my house when I saw something falling from the sky," another local said. "The first thought that came to my mind was it being a bomb. Within no time, as it fell on the ground, an explosion-like sound occurred. The fall resulted in panic in the area. Most of the people in my colony woke up to this sound and children were scared."
On February 10, another meteorite crashed in Rajasthan's Alwar village, leaving a 6 m (20 feet) deep crater in a local factory compound. The phenomenon occurred at around 23:48 UTC at the Itarana industrial area, where a CCTV camera caught the bright meteor before hitting the ground.
The Alwar fireball was also reported by CNEOS at an altitude of 41.7 km (25.9 miles) and coordinates 28.2N/76.7E. It had a speed of 31.7 km/s and total impact energy of 0.095 kilotons.
The map below shows the location of the fireball signature SW of New Delhi and impact location in Alwar. Total ground distance is 75 km (46 miles).
Fireball signature detected by CNEOS SW of New Delhi and impact location in Itarana industrial area, Alwar. Ground distance: 75 km (46 miles). Credit: Google Earth, TW
Approximate meteorite impact location in Itarana industrial area, Alwar. Credit: Google Earth, TW
Featured image credit: ArunStockGuru
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Good for the property owner. Seriously, this is a good story.
Nobody was hurt, the science people get to study a small crater, and the owner of the meteorite can sell it to make some money. It is like gold falling from the sky.
Good for everybody.