Krasnojarsk (meteorite)

Krasnojarsk

Hand-colored drawing
Type Stony–iron
Structural classification Medium octahedrite
Class Pallasite
Group Pallasite Main Group
Country Russia
Region Krasnoyarsk Krai
Coordinates 54°54′N 91°48′E / 54.900°N 91.800°E / 54.900; 91.800Coordinates: 54°54′N 91°48′E / 54.900°N 91.800°E / 54.900; 91.800[1]
Observed fall No
Found date 1749
TKW 700 kg

Krasnojarsk was the first pallasite meteorite ever found.

History

A mass of about 700 kilograms (1,500 lb) was detected in 1749 about 145 miles south of Krasnoyarsk. It was seen by P.S. Pallas in 1772 and then, on his orders, transported to Saint Petersburg.

Krasnojarsk was the first pallasite meteorite ever found and studied and led to the creation of the Pallasite group named after Pallas. It was also the first meteorite ever etched with acid (by G. Thomson) and therefore was the first one to show to human eyes the Widmanstätten pattern.

The main mass of 515 kilograms (1,135 lb) is now in Moscow at the Academy of Sciences.

Composition and classification

Krasnojarsk meteorite slice at the American Museum of Natural History.

It is a stony–iron meteorite of the Main Group Pallasite (MGP) group.

Notes

See also

External links

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