Meteor Brings Emerald-Like Green Stone to Earth

A green stone identical to an emerald may have come to Earth via the largest meteorite explosion in human history.

The blue stone originated from outer space. Photo: Lidiya Korshunova.

According to The Siberian Times, the semi-transparent stone was found deep in a coniferous forest on the steep bank of the Metlyakovka River that flows into the Kan River in the city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Depending on the light, it shines green, blue, and even orange.

Historian and geologist Lidiya Korshunova said her husband found the stone while hiking with friends nearly four years ago. At first, Korshunova’s husband thought it was a type of artificial glass from a nearby abandoned mine and placed it in his fish tank as decoration.

After reading an article by Soviet geochemist and mineralogist Vladimir Vernadsky, Korshunova began to suspect the stone’s origin. The analysis showed that compared to ordinary glass, the stone contained 7.5 times more nickel, 6 times more copper, 20 times more zinc, 3 times more cobalt, 3 times more titanium, and 40 times more chrome. Korshunova concluded that the stone was not a man-made product.

Similar amounts of the mineral are also found in tektites, which give some stones their green color. They form when molten debris from a meteor explosion is scattered through the air.

Evgeny Dmitriev, a former expert at the Russian Space Agency, believes that the stone arrived on Earth via the Tunguska meteorite, which exploded on June 30, 1907 in Siberia and flattened an area of ​​2,000 square kilometers. This meteorite explosion is considered the largest in human history, cutting down 80 million ancient trees. The location of the stone was found 670 kilometers from the center of Tunguska. It is on display in the town of Zelenogursk and is named Kanskit after the Kan River.

According to VNE