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Situation Update No. 3
On 27.10.2009 at 04:25 GMT+2
Scientists investigating a large crater initially believed to have been caused by a meteorite said a closer analysis Monday revealed that it was a hoax. Experts rushed to the site after reports that a meteorite-like object had crashed late Sunday in the Mazsalaca region near the Estonian border. ?This is not a real crater. It is artificial,? Uldis Nulle, a scientist at the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, said after inspecting the site Monday. Earlier, Uldis had said his first impression late Sunday was that the 9-meter-wide and 3-meter-deep crater had been caused by a meteorite. He said there was smoke coming out of the hole when he arrived. Uldis and other experts who examined the hole in daylight Monday said it was too tidy to have been caused by a meteorite. ?It?s artificial, dug by shovel,? said Girts Stinkulis, a geologist at the University of Latvia. Dainis Ozols, a nature conservationist, said he believed that someone dug the hole and tried to make it look like a meteorite crater by burning some pyrotechnic compound at the bottom. He added that he would analyze some samples taken from the site. Sigita Pildava, a spokeswoman for the state police, said it wasn?t immediately clear whether police would open an investigation into the hoax. Inga Vetere, of the fire and rescue service, said they received a call about a meteorite Sunday evening from a witness. She said a military unit was dispatched to the site and found that radiation levels were normal. Experts outside Latvia said it would be unusual for such a large meteorite to hit the Earth. The planet is constantly bombarded with objects from outer space, but most burn up in the atmosphere and never reach the surface. In 2007, a meteorite crashed near Lake Titicaca in Peru, causing a crater about 12 meters wide and five meters deep. Asta Pellinen-Wannberg, a meteorite expert at the Swedish Institute of Space Research, said she didn?t know the details of the Latvian incident, but that a rock would have to be at least one meter in diameter to create a hole that size. Henning Haack, a lecturer at Copenhagen University?s Geological Museum, said when it comes to suspected meteorite crashes, ?there always is a pretty large margin of error.?
[This event will be removed in the next 24 hours. RSOE EDIS Team]
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Situation Update No. 2
On 27.10.2009 at 04:25 GMT+2
Scientists expressed skepticism Monday about reports that a meteorite's impact created a crater near a northern Latvia farm. The crater appears to have been dug by shovels, a doctoral student in geology told reporters, according to LETA, the nation's official news agency. "A simple, man-made hole with a [chemical] substance poured in," said Andris Karpovics of the University of Latvia. He noted that a mixture of aluminum and iron, possibly with sulfur added, likely resulted in the increased temperature that was observed in the crater. After inspecting the scene, another expert, astronomy specialist Ilgonis Vilks, told reporters the temperature within the crater was lower than what it would have been had a meteorite created the impression. Vilks added that clumps of dirt would have surrounded the crater had a meteorite created it. "Currently, it appears that it was not a meteorite," Vilks told reporters. He declined to comment what could have created the crater, whose size he put at about 33 feet (10 meters) wide and 6.5 feet (2 meters) deep -- smaller than originally described. Vilks also did not deny that people could have dug the hole but said he is not an expert to judge this possibility. Scientists and the armed forces from the northern European nation will inspect the crater and conduct an investigation, the news agency said.
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Situation Update No. 1
On 26.10.2009 at 12:14 GMT+2
Baffled officials say a fiery object was spotted plummeting from space at high speed in Latvia last night. The mystery 'meteor' smashed a 50-foot wide and 16-foot deep hole in a field next to a farm in the north of the Baltic country. Stunned locals managed to video the object smouldering at the bottom of the crater. Military chemical units quickly raced to the scene to monitor the field for abnormal radiation levels. Fire service spokeswoman Inga Vetere said police have cordoned off the area and are waiting for geologists from the university of Latvia to arrive and analyse the object. Uldis Nulle, a scientist at the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, said there was smoke coming out of the crater when he arrived at the crash site late Sunday in the Mazsalaca region near the Estonian border. The stunned boffin said: "My first impression is that, yes, it was a meteorite. "All the evidence suggests this when compared to pictures of real meteorite craters." He said the rim of the crater was slightly raised and there was a black-grayish scar at the bottom - both signs of a meteorite impact. Experts outside Latvia said it was unusual for such a large meteorite to hit the Earth. The planet is constantly bombarded with objects from outer space, but most burn up in the atmosphere and never reach the surface. In 2007, a meteorite crashed near Lake Titicaca in Peru, causing a crater about 40 feet (12 meters) wide and 15 feet (5 meters) deep.