Copyright - M.Bandli - Historic Meteorites
NERFT
Courland, Latvia
Fell April 12, 1864 - L6 Veined Chondrite
Collection No. B50.3 - A 25.75 gram fusion crusted end-cut.
Provenance: (parent piece) Texas Christian University; by transfer to The Karl Collection.
Historical Notes: Just before sunrise on the early cloudless morning of April 12, 1864, strange detonations were heard likened to that of cannon shots or guns firing. Others reported hearing persistent buzzing sounds.
At the farmhouse Poghel, Jahn Kasak and his three servants, Jehkab Wilister, Leepin Dahn, and Peter Grunwald were constructing a barn when an object struck the ground, only 375 steps away, throwing grass up into the air. Jehkab immediately picked up the 5.6kg meteorite, which created an 8 x 8 inch hole in the ground. Jekhab noted the smell of gunpowder and that the meteorite was very hot and he could feel the heat through his wool gloves.
About 700 yards to the north, at the farmhouse Swajahn, another group of servants witnessed the impact of the second meteorite a few seconds later, which also tossed earth and sand into the air. A cold stone weighing 4.7kg was found a foot deep in the soil
References:
Kuhlberg, C.A. (1868), Analyse und Beschreibung der Meteorite von Nerft. Naturkund. 1-14.
Below: map showing the Manor of Nerft and the locations of both the Poghel stone and Swajahn stone. Bottom: Detail of fusion crust.
