The iron and metal rich meteorite melted in half and fell in the village of Ådale, believed to be the parent 9-ton meteor fragment.
The meteorite is about the size of a loaf of bread and weighs 14 kg, according to the Swedish Museum of Natural History. It was once part of a larger meteorite, which can weigh over 9 tons, creating a giant fireball over the city of Uppsala on November 7, 2020. After this collision, scientists from the Swedish Museum of Natural History have calculated the area of the object most likely to fall and have found some small fragments of iron meteorites near the village of Ådale. The debris was only 3mm long, but examination showed that a rock and tree roots had been hit by a heavy object.
Stockholm geologists Andreas Forsberg and Anders Zetterqvist returned to the area and found larger debris, which may have struck the rock. He was about 70 meters from the site where the original debris was found, partially buried under the moss. A large meteorite surface was flattened and cracked under the impact of the impact. This meteorite is also covered with a circular indentation. Depression streaks are common in iron meteorites, formed when they partially melt during their journey through the atmosphere.
“This is the first certain example of a new iron meteorite falling in our country,” said museum director Dan Holtstam. It is also the first time that meteorite fragments linked to fireballs have been recorded in Sweden in 66 years.
“Since we know this is an iron meteorite, we can adjust our simulation of the meteorite fall,” said astronomer Eric Stempels of Uppsala University. “It’s possible that the newly found meteorite is the largest surviving piece of a 9-ton meteorite. Several smaller fragments are likely still in the area.”
Ferrous meteorites are the second most common type of meteorite that falls to Earth, after rock meteorites. They originate from the cores of planets and asteroids, meaning they can provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Other meteorites contain complex organic compounds that reveal how vital elements appeared on Earth early on.
