Appley Bridge meteorite

Appley Bridge meteorite
TypeOrdinary chondrite
GroupLL6
CountryEngland
RegionAppley Bridge, Lancashire
Coordinates53°35′N 2°43′W / 53.583°N 2.717°W / 53.583; -2.717[1]
Observed fallYes
Fall date13 October 1914
TKW33 pounds (15 kg)
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

The Appley Bridge meteorite is a meteorite that hit ground at Halliwell Farm in Appley Bridge, Lancashire, England at around 8:45 PM on Tuesday, 13 October 1914.[2][3][4]

After local residents saw a bolide, the meteorite was subsequently found in a farmer's field in the village the following day. It was 18 inches (460 mm) below the surface of the field, with the appearance of burnt iron, and weighed almost 33 pounds (15 kg).

An article in Scientific News (No. 2588, 30 October 1914) stated "a small fragment which had been detached from the larger mass was put on view in a shop-window at Appley Bridge."

A collection of letters, memoranda, and news-cuttings pertaining to the meteorite is held by the Natural History Museum Archives in London.[5] In 2011, a fragment weighing less than an ounce and mounted in a one-inch plastic gem case was sold for £1,000 by auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh.[6]

  1. ^ "Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Appley Bridge". The Meteoritical Society. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Appley Bridge". Lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  3. ^ Matthew Smith. "British and Irish Meteorite Society". Lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  4. ^ Phil Williams (December 2014). "The Appley Bridge Meteorite Fall" (PDF). Liverpool Astronomical Society Monthly Newsletter. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Appley Bridge meteorite, England: letters, memoranda and newscuttings". nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Lot 65 - Appley Bridge". www.lyonandturnbull.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.