Massive Chunk of Russian Meteor Hauled from Lake Bottom

October 16,2013

 

 

 

 

 

MOSCOW  -- Russian scientists have recovered a giant chunk of the Chelyabinsk meteor from the bottom of the lake it crashed into.
A meteor that blazed across southern Urals in February was the largest recorded meteor strike in more than a century. More than 1,600 people were injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs, as it landed near the city of Chelyabinsk.
Scientists on Wednesday recovered what could be the largest part of this meteor from Chebarkul Lake outside the city. They weighed it using a giant steelyard balance, which displayed 570 kilograms (1,256 pounds) before it broke.
Sergei Zamozdra, an associate professor at Chelyabinsk State University, told Russian television that the excavated fragment was definitely a chunk of the meteor.
MORE: Photos of Russian Meteor

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Chelyabinsk, Russia

In this photo provided by Chelyabinsk.ru, a woman cleans away glass debris from a window after a meteorite explosion over Chelyabinsk region on Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Yevgenia Yemelyanova, Chelyabinsk.ru)