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 Photos of Iowa Meteorites
Historic accounts of meteorites striking Iowa make fascinating reading. They are
but the latest of numerous asteroids that have bombarded the Earth throughout its history.
This same process caused the impressive Manson
Impact Structure in Pocahontas County.
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Amana: This 74-pound fragment was part of a dazzling
fireball that fell near Homestead, in Iowa County, the wintery evening of February 12,
1875. On loan from Amana Heritage Museum. |
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Estherville: A monument in Emmet County commemorates
the exploding fall of a meteorite on May 10, 1879. This is one of three large
fragments recovered. On loan from Cornell College. |
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Marion: Iowa’s first recorded meteorite arrived
with a loud blast heard throughout Johnson and Linn counties on February 25, 1847, the day
the Legislature (then in Iowa City) established The Universityof Iowa. On loan from
The University of Iowa.
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Mapleton: A slice sawed from a 108-pound iron
meteorite found in June 1939, by a Monona County farmer shows the fine edges of large iron
crystals. On loan from Field Museum of Natural History. |
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Forest City: Rock fragments from this exploding
meteor showered an eight-square mile area of Winnebago County on May 2, 1890. On loan
from Cornell College. |
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Lone Tree: This slab was sawed from a 46-pound stony
meteorite discovered during cultivation in Johnson County in May 1972. Geological
Survey Bureau.
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Photo setups by Patricia J. Lohmann
Photos by Paul VanDorpe
Adapted from Iowa Geology 1999, Iowa Department of Natural
Resources
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