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Brahin (meteorite)
Encyclopedia
Brahin is a meteorite
pallasite
found in 1807.
This is the second meteorite ever found in Russia.
Sometimes it is also called Bragin or Bragim.
It is quite common among collectors due the affordable price of small partial slices.
. The meteorites were sent to scientists by the administrator of the district: Graf Rakitsky, State Advisor and Ex Honorio Inspector of The Schools Of Rechitsky Uezd. Since 1807 several masses were recovered from the site.
During World War II
, samples of Brahin were stolen in Kiev
by German soldiers and some samples disappeared also in Minsk
.
In 2002 a single mass of 227 kg was found at a depth of 3 meters at the northern end of Brahin strewnfield.
, with angular shaped olivine
embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. Olivine crystals represent about 37% of the weight of the meteorite.
Pallasites are not commons, they compose only 1.8 % of all known meteorites.
It has been proposed that pallasites represents the interface between the stone mantle and the metal core of differentiated asteroid
s.
.
The area was contaminated in 1986 during the Chernobyl disaster
and falls now in the Periodic Control Zone. Post-accident recovered meteorites are safe and not contaminated because the radiation affects only the first few inches of soil, nevertheless meteorite hunting in the area is not entirely safe.
The official total known weight is 1050 kg, but it is probably underestimated.
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
pallasite
Pallasite
A pallasite is a type of stony–iron meteorite.-Structure and composition:It consists of cm-sized olivine crystals of peridot quality in an iron-nickel matrix. Coarser metal areas develop Widmanstätten patterns upon etching...
found in 1807.
This is the second meteorite ever found in Russia.
Sometimes it is also called Bragin or Bragim.
It is quite common among collectors due the affordable price of small partial slices.
History
In 1807 two masses of 80 kg and 20 kg were found by farmers of Kaporenki, a village in the district of BraginBrahin Raion
Brahin Raion is an administrative subdivision, a raion of Homiel Voblast, in Belarus, governed from a small town of Brahin....
. The meteorites were sent to scientists by the administrator of the district: Graf Rakitsky, State Advisor and Ex Honorio Inspector of The Schools Of Rechitsky Uezd. Since 1807 several masses were recovered from the site.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, samples of Brahin were stolen in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
by German soldiers and some samples disappeared also in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
.
In 2002 a single mass of 227 kg was found at a depth of 3 meters at the northern end of Brahin strewnfield.
Composition and classification
Brahin is a Main Group pallasitePallasite
A pallasite is a type of stony–iron meteorite.-Structure and composition:It consists of cm-sized olivine crystals of peridot quality in an iron-nickel matrix. Coarser metal areas develop Widmanstätten patterns upon etching...
, with angular shaped olivine
Olivine
The mineral olivine is a magnesium iron silicate with the formula 2SiO4. It is a common mineral in the Earth's subsurface but weathers quickly on the surface....
embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. Olivine crystals represent about 37% of the weight of the meteorite.
Pallasites are not commons, they compose only 1.8 % of all known meteorites.
It has been proposed that pallasites represents the interface between the stone mantle and the metal core of differentiated asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s.
Strewn field
Meteorites were found in a zone about 15 km long and 3 km wide crossed by the Dnieper RiverDnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
.
The area was contaminated in 1986 during the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
and falls now in the Periodic Control Zone. Post-accident recovered meteorites are safe and not contaminated because the radiation affects only the first few inches of soil, nevertheless meteorite hunting in the area is not entirely safe.
The official total known weight is 1050 kg, but it is probably underestimated.