Rocks from Space Picture of the Day July 14, 2008
Heavily regmaglypted 4.971kg Sikhote Alin individual. Most of the
meteorite's surface has been smoothened by thermal ablation during the
atmospheric passage. On several spots the melting progressed only partially
and traces of the shear processes that occured during fragmentation can
still be observed. This feature goes together with the fragmentation model
as suggested by Krinow after which the Sikhote meteoroid started to break up
at a relatively low altitude. Thus the ablation process could not continue
long enough to alter the complete surface of most fragments. Specimen
purchased at the Ensisheim / France Meteorite Fair in June 2008.
Author & editor:
Michael Johnson
