A meteorite fell to the bottom of the Karelian Vygozero. Experts confidently declare this, brushing aside other versions - for example, that fragments of a rocket fell into a reservoir or a shell from the times of the Great Patriotic War exploded at its bottom.
A strange phenomenon occurred near the village of Polga in early December. It happened in the morning, there are no eyewitnesses - the local residents saw only the consequences of this event. The fisherman reported to the Ministry of Emergency Situations about a huge hole on the surface of the lake. Later, an amateur diver went down to the bottom of the lake and found a crater there.
The scene was examined by experts from the Cosmopoisk organization. The expedition coordinator Vadim Chernobrov shared the information obtained during the research: “Judging by the mass of the object, we do not claim to be the first in the overall rating. But the mass of the meteorite is close to a record high. According to him, a meteorite weighing 670 kilograms is able to punch a hole seven meters in diameter in the ice.
The size of the depression on Vygozero is 19 by 29 meters. Based on this, scientists have made the assumption that the "Segezha meteorite" definitely weighs more than a ton.
“From the impact of the meteorite on the surface of the lake, part of the ice turned into dust, and huge cracks formed. There was a feeling that we are dealing with the consequences of an earthquake of 5 points and higher,”the Republic of Karelia news agency quoted Chernobrov as saying.
Meanwhile, in the blog of the Karelian branch of "Kosmopoisk" there was information that a distortion of the magnetic field was recorded directly above the meteor crater at the bottom of Vygozero.
The researchers also reported that the main body, preserved after the fall of the meteorite, was discovered the day before. “Last evening, we managed to find the same object under a layer of sand,” says their community on the social network. “It has been decided to leave the discovered meteorite in place, since its transportation over the still thin ice is impossible.”
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So far, scientists have collected only the alleged meteorite particles that remained on the ice, on the shore and at the bottom of the lake.
These particles will be sent for examination to Petrozavodsk and Moscow, Karelia State TV and Radio Company reports. Depending on the results of their study, it will be clear what to do with the meteorite next.
If an ice comet actually lies four meters under the soil, scientists will have a unique chance to take samples of it in the form in which it flew through space. Fortunately, weather conditions so far contribute to its safety.