In Collection : 91.4 grams individual

In Collection : 220 grams individual

The Sikhote-Alin meteorite fell during daylight on February 12, 1947. Witnesses reported a fireball that was brighter than the sun. It came from out of the north -- about 15 degrees east of north and descended at an angle of 41 degrees. It left a trail of smoke and dust that was 20 miles long and lingered for several hours. Light and sound of the fall were observed for two hundred miles around the point of impact. Painter Medvedev was a witness of the fall and quickly painted a picture.

The speed of entry was estimated to be 14.5 kilometers per second. As the meteorite entered the atmosphere some of it began to break apart. The group of fragments fell together.

When the descending group of meteorites reached an altitude of about 4.5km, the largest mass apparently broke up in a violent explosion. This was a very low altitude for such an event.

In 1975, an expedition did a map of the strewnfield. Mapping of the craters and meteorites found in the earlier trips showed that the meteorite came from the NNW to the SSE. However, eyewitnesses reported it coming from the NNE to SSW. It was believed lack of accurate eyewitnesses and the wind blowing the smoke tail made up for the difference. Tsvetkov, who joined the expedition, believed otherwise. Mapping had been done with great effort to search the known area, looking meter by meteor, being careful not to skip any spot. Tsvetkov chose to search 20-25 meter grids each separated by 200 meters. To the surprise and possibly annoyance of his superiors Tsvetkov shortly found meteorites well outside the known strewn field.

The fragments scattered over an elliptical area of about a half a square mile. The largest fragments made small craters and pits. One of these measured 85 feet across and 20 feet deep. The larger craters are located at the far end of the strewn field. They are estimated to more than 100 craters.

Total mass is unknown as some individuals are still found but is estimated to 1 000 tons.

Analysis : 5.9% Ni, 0.42% Co, 0.46% P, about 0.28% S, 52 ppm Ga, 161 ppm Ge, 0.03 ppm Ir