Brahin is a
meteorite
A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...
pallasite found in 1810.
This is the second meteorite ever found in Russia (nowadays Belarus).
[Laboratory of Meteoritics, Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry]
''Brahin''
Sometimes it is also called Bragin.
History
In 1807 two masses of and were found by farmers of Kaporenki, a village in the
district of Bragin.
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 or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, samples of Brahin were stolen in
Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
by German soldiers and some samples disappeared also in
Minsk
Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
.
In 2002 a single mass of was found at a depth of 3 meters at the northern end of Brahin
strewnfield.
[MetBase 7.0 for Windows. Joern Koblitz, The MetBase Library of Meteoritics and Planetary Sciences]
Composition and classification
Brahin is a Main Group
pallasite, with angular shaped
olivine
The mineral olivine () is a magnesium iron Silicate minerals, silicate with the chemical formula . It is a type of Nesosilicates, nesosilicate or orthosilicate. The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle (Earth), upper mantle, it is a com ...
embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. Olivine crystals represent about 37% of the weight of the meteorite.
Pallasites are not common; 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
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
s.
Strewn field
Meteorites were found in a zone about long and wide crossed by the
Dnieper River.
The area was contaminated in 1986 during the
Chernobyl disaster
On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...
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 , but it is probably underestimated.
See also
*
Glossary of meteoritics
Notes
External links
Meteoritical Bulletin Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brahin (Meteorite)
Meteorites found in Belarus
Geography of Belarus
