The latest expedition of the Urals Federal University to the Chelyabinsk region collected over a hundred meteorite pieces, university employee, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Meteorite Committee Viktor Grokhovsky told Interfax.
"The biggest piece weighs over one kilogram; the precise weighting is still ahead," he said.
About 30 skiers of the university tourist club participated in the expedition, Grokhovsky said.
"They were divided into groups and skied for 50 kilometers. Some groups found meteorite pieces and some did not," he said.
Most of the meteorite debris has yet to be collected, but it is hard to say when the expeditions may continue, he said.
The university expedition brought about 50 meteorite pieces found near a hole on the Lake Chebarkul on Feb. 17. The pieces were smaller than one centimeter in size. The scientists identified the meteorite as a regular chondrite, a stony meteorite containing about 10 percent of iron.
Grokhovsky supposed that the bulk of the meteorite up to 60 centimeters in diameter might have sunk in the lake. Much bigger fragments were found south of Chelyabinsk later. The researchers said the Chelyabinsk region had witnessed a stony meteor shower.
All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.