12 февраля 1947 г. в западных отрогах Сихотэ-Алиня упал огромный метеорит. Раздробившись во время движения в атмосфере на многочисленные осколки, он рассеялся железным дождем.

Craters on the Earth are traces on the path our planet has followed to come to existence from the early nebula which was filling this corner of the galaxy.
Millions of cataclysmic events were necessary about five billions of years ago to form the Earth. We do not have evidences of this part of the Earth history on the surface. However, impacts continued through the Ages and traces of the most recent craters are present over the surface of the Earth. Documenting them through satellite observations provides important information on the genesis of our planet through a very valuable, systematic observational approach.

Two thousand million years (Ma) ago a mountain-sized bolide from Space, travelling at tens of thousands of kilometres per hour, slammed into the Earth at a position approximately 120 km southwest of the present-day city of Johannesburg, in the vicinity of the present towns of Vredefort and Parys. Within moments, it had blown a hole tens of kilometres deep and more than 100 km wide into the crust of the Earth. Th e force of the impact hurled countless millions of tonnes of rock, some of it heated to temperatures of thousands of degrees centigrade (°C), around the crater over an area extending for hundreds of kilometres from the impact site (Fig. 3a).

Предлагаемая книжка посвящена новой отрасли науки – метеоритике. Известный исследователь метеоритов Е.Л.Кринов рассказывает в ней об основных свойствах метеоритов, об условиях их падения на Землю, их химическом составе и структуре. Цель книги – познакомить широкий круг людей с основными сведениями о метеоритах, возбудить их интерес к этим небесным телам и привлечь их к участию в сборе метеоритов

The science of meteoritics comprises the study of meteors, meteorites and extraterrestrial dust. The study of meteors is mainly concerned with the recording and interpretation of high altitude objects that never fully penetrate our atmosphere, while the study of dust is a highly specialized branch that requires sophisticated sampling techniques for the collection and identification of the minute and controversial dust particles. The present work, on the other hand , deals mainly with the massive, tangible material. We will study the meteorite falls and finds and we will limit ourselves largely to the examination of such objects generally known as iron meteorites.

Rocks represent the overall geological materials constituting the Earth’s crust (i.e., lithosphere), which are commonly made from an aggregate of crystals of one or more minerals and/or glass. From a wide geological point of view, rocks can be either solid (e.g., granite, limestone, rock salt, and ice), fluid (e.g. sand, and volcanic ashes), liquid (i.e., bitumen, and oil), or gaseous (i.e., natural gas, and hydrothermal fluids).

The Descriptive Part which follows contains a designation of all iron meteorites known to the author as of January 1, 1973. They are listed alphabetically according to the name adopted by Hey (1966) or other authorities. Numerous synonyms and cross references are given to help the reader find the meteorite sought. Additional names and synonyms may be found in Appendices 2, 3 and 4. A Supplement, giving information on meteorites examined after January 1,1973, will be found at the end of Volume 3.

The Descriptive Part which follows contains a designation of all iron meteorites known to the author as of January 1, 1973. They are listed alphabetically according to the name adopted by Hey (1966) or other authorities. Numerous synonyms and cross references are given to help the reader find the meteorite sought. Additional names and synonyms may be found in Appendices 2, 3 and 4. A Supplement, giving information on meteorites examined after January 1,1973, will be found at the end of Volume 3.

The geological guidebook that follows has been prepared for the occasion of the 80th Annual Meeting of The Meteoritical Society in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a Society field trip to the crater. The guidebook is an expanded version of the first edition, which was prepared for the 70th Annual Meeting of The Meteoritical Society in Tucson, Arizona. While both guidebooks provide a trail-oriented geological tour of the crater, they are also designed to introduce readers to the geological processes that shaped the crater.

Asteroids, comets, and meteorites have been objects of fascination, speculation, and fear for most of recorded human history. Early peoples thought that fiery streaks in the sky were omens of ill fortune and sought refuge from their evil powers. Impacts of comets and meteorites with Earth are now recognized as the main cause for several periods of mass extinction on the planet, including termination of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Comets and meteorites may also have brought much of the water, air, and perhaps even life to Earth. The planets themselves coalesced from numerous smaller asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust.Asteroids, comets, and meteorites were therefore essential for the formation of Earth and life and were also responsible for the end of the line for many species <...>