What was the largest meteorite fall ever witnessed?
Sikhote-Alin in Russia in 1947 delivered the most mass of any witnessed fall, an estimated 70 tonnes or more of iron. Jilin in China in 1976 produced the largest stony meteorite fall.
Several witnessed falls stand out for the amount of material they delivered.
Sikhote-Alin, 12 February 1947. An iron meteoroid entered the atmosphere over the Sikhote-Alin mountains in eastern Russia in the morning. Witnesses saw a fireball brighter than the Sun and heard loud booms. It broke apart, showering iron fragments over an area of about 1.3 square kilometres. More than 100 small craters formed, the largest about 26 metres across. The total mass that reached the ground is estimated at about 70 tonnes or more, with about 23 tonnes recovered. It is the largest witnessed iron meteorite fall.
Jilin, 8 March 1976. A stony meteoroid exploded over Jilin province in north-east China, scattering more than 100 stones over a wide area. The largest stone weighs about 1,770 kilograms, one of the largest stony meteorites known. It penetrated about 6 metres into frozen ground. Total recovered mass is around 4 tonnes. Jilin is an H5 chondrite.
Allende, 8 February 1969. A carbonaceous chondrite fell in Chihuahua, Mexico, with more than 2 tonnes recovered, making it the largest carbonaceous chondrite fall.
Chelyabinsk, 15 February 2013. The meteoroid was about 12,000 tonnes before entry, but only around a tonne of meteorites has been recovered, including a 650-kilogram mass from a lake.
Norton County, 1948. The largest aubrite fall, with a main mass of about a tonne.
These falls show the range of sizes, types and outcomes of meteorite falls.