THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH CHELYABINSK METEORITE'S PASSAGE

Abstract

rate of mass loss attained 20 kiloton s –1 , and the optical emission energy of 375 TJ. The pressure behind the shock near the bolide explosion epicenter attained a few kilopascals. The surface area of partial destructions was equal to approximately 6,000 km 2 . The bolide explosion gave rise to appreciable disturbances not only in the lower atmosphere, but also in the upper atmosphere at a range of not less than 1,000…2,000 km. The effects in the geomagnetic field reached 0.5…1 nT. The earthquake caused by the bolide explosion had a Richter magnitude of 3-4. PACS: Earth ionosphere, 94.20.-y; Asteroids, 96.30.Ys