On the morning of 15 February 2013 a fireball brighter than the Sun swept over the Chelyabinsk Region. A cosmic body about 18 metres across entered the atmosphere at about 19 kilometres per second and broke apart at an altitude of roughly 30 kilometres. The shock wave shattered windows in thousands of buildings, and about one and a half thousand people were injured — mostly by broken glass. The fall was filmed by hundreds of dashcams, and it became one of the most studied in history.
What Fell to the Ground
Most of the matter vaporised or dispersed as dust, but thousands of fragments fell over an area of dozens of kilometres. The largest piece broke through the ice of Lake Chebarkul; in October 2013 it was raised from the lake bed — about 654 kilograms. Today it is kept in the Chelyabinsk Regional Museum of Local History.
What Kind of Stone It Is
The Chelyabinsk meteorite is an ordinary chondrite of type LL5: a stony meteorite with a small metal content. Its matter formed about 4.5 billion years ago, together with the Solar System. Inside there are light and dark areas: the dark ones are traces of shock melting that the parent body underwent while still in space.
How to Choose a Fragment
Specimens with fusion crust — the thin black rind formed during passage through the atmosphere — are prized. The more of the surface it covers, the higher the value; a broken face reveals the light-grey granular matter of the chondrite. A meteorite is best kept in a dry place: stony meteorites containing iron are sensitive to moisture.
A Gift with a Date
A fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite is a rare gift with an exact date and a story that needs no explanation: almost everyone remembers the footage of that morning. A small piece in a case suits a desk or a collector’s cabinet; a larger specimen belongs in a display case beside other meteorites. Every RELICTUM fragment comes with a provenance passport.