Possible Meteorite Leaves a Crater In Latvia

Several readers made sure we know about the possible meteorite that crashed into a field in northern Latvia yesterday. It left a crater 9m across and 3m deep according to the AP; 15m x 5m according to AFP; or 20m x 10m according to CNN. Sky News reporting includes a video recorded while approaching the smoking crater on foot; something is burning in its center. Xinhua has a brief mention with a good portrait of the crater in daylight, with people standing on its rim for perspective. Various outlets report that local authorities tested for radiation and found levels to be normal. Some quote an expert who estimates that, if it was a meteorite, it was probably around 1m in diameter when it hit. Update 16:40 GMT by SM: As many readers have pointed out, this has been declared a hoax.
Update: 10/27 16:41 GMT by KD : Swedish mobile phone operator Tele2 has now fessed up to pulling off the hoax.

Aluminum powder?

[JSBiff]

Is Aluminum a part of some common explosive or something?

Re:Aluminum powder?

[Anonymous Coward]

Thermite, perhaps?

Re:Aluminum powder?

[arose]

I think the main point was that it is not found in meteorites. Also, as the AC mentioned, it's part of thermite.

Re:Hoax

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a self-supporting statement. Here's such a report [slashdot.org] if you still don't understand.

Re:Hoax

[ramunas]

Well the hoaxiness of the incident is currently actively discussed. We'll know more when some actual scientists get to look at the thing. Meanwhile it's nice to be in the headlines for another reason than the economic meltdown.

Re:So... where's the object?

[oldspewey]

But you have to give full points for the sheer industriousness of the joke. Digging a pit 10m+ across is not an easy task. Back in my drunken-pranking days, I guarantee that me and my buddies would have said "fuck this idea, let's go find something easier to do" when that crater was maybe a couple meters across at best.

Re:Hoax

[mbone]

The rim looks pretty reasonable - new craters have raised rims (see, e.g., the Sedan [wikimedia.org] crater).

What does look a little suspicious is the edge of the rim - I would expect at least some debris sprayed out into the surrounding fields, which I don't see in the pictures. Also, the video from last night is suspicious - why would stuff at the bottom of the crater burn ? That should just be more dirt - meteorite impacts rarely cause fires, and craters rarely have burnable stuff at the bottom.

If this isn't a hoax, I wonder if some World War II ordinance (say, a 500 lb bomb) couldn't have exploded ? Latvia was certainly fought over during the War (2 or even 3 times in places), and old explosives can become unstable and go off for little or no reason.

Re:Thermite explosive?

[Anonymous Coward]

Once the iron oxide (2Fe3O2) and the aluminum powder (3Al2) are heated to the correct temperature (like burning magnesium), the aluminum pulls the oxygen with more force, and the reaction releases a lot of energy (becoming 3Fe2 + 2Al302). Since this is normally done in an open setting, it doesnt go off with your hollywood ka-boom explosion, but can be harnessed to produce such a reaction. I think its more exciting because it provides its own oxygen, so it can burn in space, underwater, or really, in any environment until the tempurature is reduced to prevent continued reaction.

Re:Hoax

[sexconker]

Here's a Venn diagram.

[(.)]

[] = Every thing.
() = Every X (kid).
. =Every X (kid) that is Y (in Latvia).

Re:Hoax

[AigariusDebian]

TELE2 have confessed that they supported the hoax as a PR stunt for their phone network.