The Pułtusk strewn field
One of the most abundant showers ever recorded: tens of thousands of stones, the famous 'Pultusk peas', over snow and river ice.
Key facts
- Fell
- 30 January 1868, in the evening
- Where
- near Pułtusk, north of Warsaw, Poland
- Recovered
- tens of thousands of stones, most of a few grams
- Field
- an elongated field covering many square kilometres along the River Narew
- Type
- Ordinary chondrite, H5
The fall
A fireball exploded over central Poland, then part of the Russian Empire, with a roar like cannon fire. A hail of stones fell on villages, fields and the frozen River Narew.
The ellipse
The stones spread over a long field covering many square kilometres along and near the river. Snow on the ground made the black stones easy to see, and some broke through the river ice.
Where the big and small pieces landed
Most stones were the size of peas or hazelnuts and weighed only a few grams, while the largest weighed several kilograms. The smallest lay at the start of the field and the larger stones further along it. Specimens were sold and exchanged across Europe, so Pułtusk is held in a great many collections.
The law
We know of no Polish law written for meteorites. The fields are farmland, and searchers need landowners' permission.
Related pages
Glossary: Strewn field, Strewn field map, Fusion crust, Meteorite ownership