Found 53 'meteorite fragments'

Russian police are verifying information that meteorite debris falls in the central region of Urals, being sold online, while scientists claim to find 53 fragments.

"Internet information on the sale of meteorites has been reviewed completely, and a decision will be made after the investigation is complete , " RIA Novosti quoted a spokesman for the Chelyabinsk Home Affairs Department. Angela Chirkova, said yesterday.

Shortly after the rare Chelyabinsk meteorite explosion, 1,200 people were injured, some websites were reported to have advertised the sale of meteorite fragments. The price of each piece ranges from 3 to 33 USD.

The seller said they picked up small stones from the Chelyabinsk zinc factory area, which was slightly damaged by the meteorite shockwave.

A researcher touched a meteorite in the laboratory
in Yekaterinburg on February 18. A total of 53 pieces were brought to school
University in Yekaterinburg for accreditation. Largest piece with a diameter of 1cm,
and the smallest piece is about 1mm. (Photo: AP)

Russian scientists said yesterday they had found 53 meteorites at Lake Chebarkul near Chelyabinsk. However, some experts argue that no large fragments can exist, because meteors are mostly made of ice and almost completely evaporate during the penetration into the Earth's atmosphere.

How did the meteorite explosion happen?

On December 15, a meteorite had a diameter of about 17 meters and an estimated 10,000 tons of weight plunged into the sky of the Urals, Russia. It caught fire in the atmosphere, causing a loud explosion and a blinding light at around 9am.

Thousands of locals had the opportunity to observe the movement of meteorites, originally thought to be a plane crash or missile, but it turned out to be sky-burning and explosive rocks.

The pressure that the meteorite explosion caused tens of thousands of houses in Chelyabinsk were broken, while the ambient temperature was at -9 degrees Celsius. About 1,200 people were injured, mainly due to broken glass. . A zinc factory is also affected.

The Russian government immediately dispatched thousands of people to support the collection of rubble, as well as to search for fragments of meteorites. On a Chelyabinsk glacier lake, there was a large crater where it was thought the meteorite debris fell.

After two days of searching for divers, they claimed to have discovered meteorites. The pit area is secured during the search process. At the same time, those looking for amateur "sky rocks" rushed to hunt for precious things. Many proclamations for selling meteors have appeared online, and Russian officials must investigate whether there are signs of fraud or fraud.

Meteorite falls is not a rare thing, they still hit the atmosphere and create meteor shower. However, the spectacle of meteorites on February 15 in Russia and the level of damage it caused was unprecedented for hundreds of years, according to scientists. Russian officials and scientists are questioning the construction of meteorite defense systems and cosmic objects.