Chelyabinsk - LL5 Ordinary Chondrite

Chelyabinsk is one of the most famous witnessed Meteorite falls of modern times, occurring over Russia on 15 February 2013. The incoming body produced a brilliant fireball and powerful airburst over the Chelyabinsk region, widely recorded by dashcams, security cameras, and eyewitnesses. The shockwave damaged buildings and injured many people, making it one of the best-documented meteorite events in history. Chelyabinsk is officially classified as an LL5 Ordinary Chondrite.

Chelyabinsk specimens typically show a light grey interior with subdued chondrules, scattered metal grains, and, in many pieces, distinctive shock-darkened areas or impact-melt veins. As an LL Chondrite, it has relatively low total iron and low metal content compared with H and L Chondrites, while the type 5 classification indicates significant thermal metamorphism on its parent asteroid. Fresh fragments often retain black fusion crust, providing a clear visual link to their passage through Earth’s atmosphere.

Studying Chelyabinsk provides valuable insight into atmospheric entry, fragmentation, airburst energy, and the structure of small asteroids that cross Earth’s orbit. Its exceptionally well-recorded fall allows scientists to connect recovered meteorite material with video data, trajectory modelling, and impact effects on the ground. For collectors, Chelyabinsk offers a rare combination of modern witnessed fall provenance, widespread documentation, and strong scientific significance. Each specimen represents ancient asteroid material connected to a clearly recorded event in 2013.