Alfianello meteorite

Historical meteorite

The Alfianello meteorite is an L6 chondrite that fell on February 16, 1883, near Alfianello in Lombardy, Italy. It is a historically observed impact with a total mass of approximately 228 kilograms. Unlike many other impacts, one large piece landed here that reached the ground virtually intact. According to historical descriptions, the stone penetrated the soil about one meter deep and caused a tremor that was experienced by bystanders as almost a minor earthquake. Alfianello is therefore known as one of the heavier classic European meteorite falls of the 19th century, which makes a fragment of it particularly attractive to many collectors.

What is a meteorite?

A meteorite begins as a meteoroid: a small piece of rock or metal moving through space. As soon as such an object enters the Earth's atmosphere, compression and heating of the air create a bright light phenomenon that we call a meteor or fireball. Only the part that survives this passage and actually reaches the ground is called a meteorite. During flight, a dark, thin molten crust often forms on the outside. Many meteorites break apart into multiple pieces along the way, creating a so-called strewn field. The speed upon entry is often many kilometers per second higher than the final speed upon impact at the Earth's surface, because the atmosphere strongly slows the object down.

Classification and origin

Meteorites are classified based on their composition and internal structure. Most discovered meteorites are chondrites: stony meteorites with small spherical inclusions, known as chondrules, which belong to the oldest solid material from the early solar system. In addition, there are achondrites, which lack these chondrules and originate from celestial bodies where geological processes such as melting and crystallization have already taken place. Examples of these are eucrites from the HED group, which are associated with the asteroid Vesta. The letters and numbers in classifications such as H6, L5-6, or LL4 provide information about, among other things, the iron content and the degree of thermal change in the parent material. As a result, a classification reveals something not only about the type of meteorite but also about its geological history.

Box dimensions

This meteorite comes in a transparent acrylic display box measuring 8.3 x 5.8 cm.