Sikhote-Alin Iron Meteorites

In 1947, a meteor shower of spectacular proportions illuminated the skies of eastern Russia, announcing the dramatic entry of meteorites into Earth’s atmosphere. The Sikhote-Alin meteorites, named after the region they fell in, hail from this monumental event, which saw an explosion of meteors streaking through the heavens. The fall of this 23,000+ kilogram (post-atmospheric mass) meteorite produced 106 impact holes, some up to 28 meters in diameter, in the thick forests of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains. Many fragments of this iron meteorite have been recovered, some weighing up to 300 kilograms.