Dronino
A brief description:
Type: iron meteorite, ataxite class
Meteorite impact site: Russia, Ryazan region
The time of the meteorite fall: not fixed
Date of discovery: 2000
History of study
The first information that a meteorite impact site is located in the surroundings of the village of Dronino appeared in the late 90s. During the reclamation work, large stones of rusty color came across, but no one payed much attention to it. The first studied fragment was found accidentally by a mushroom picker in 2000 and lay in the garden for about two years. In 2003, the specimens were transferred to the Meteoritics Laboratory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where the meteoritic nature of the found fragment was confirmed. The time of the meteorite fall is unknown, however presumably a large cosmic body landed here long before the foundation of the first Russian settlements.
General information
The total mass of the found meteorite fragments exceeds 3 tons, which indicates the large size of the Dronino meteorite. The funnel with a diameter of 30 m is not visually noticeable, but is detectable when studying the geological structure of the crash site.
The chemical composition of the meteorite: 90% nickel iron and up to 10% a rare mineral troilite (iron sulfide). Such a composition makes the Droninsky meteorite unique among its iron counterparts. Troilite is present in the structure in the form of elongated fused inclusions, similar to the traces of woodworms. Some fragments show a strong degree of oxidation, which is extremely atypical for meteorites. Scientists assume that this is the result of bacteria eating sulfides with the release of sulfuric acid, which destroys the metal. Such fragments are easy to identify by their appearance and fragility.
