METEORITES FALLEN ON THE TERRITORY OF BULGARIA

On the territory of Bulgaria, 7 meteorites have been found, six of which were observed falling to Earth. The largest was accidentally discovered with a metal detector in the area of Orlov Dol, Haskovo region.
Parts of Bulgarian meteorites are found in various museums and private collections in Sofia, London, Berlin, Chicago, Budapest, and the Vatican.
The Museum of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" houses parts of the meteorites Gumoshnik, Silistra, and Pavel, with the latter stolen in 2000. Periodically, notices appear on websites for the sale of Bulgarian meteorites: 1.06 gram - VIRBA (L6 Chondrite) Meteorite https://www.ebay.com › itm Sold · $123.75 · Wed, Dec 18, 12:48 PM

LIST OF METEORITES FALLEN ON THE TERRITORY OF BULGARIA




RAZGRAD METEORITE
On October 25, 1740, on a clear day, sounds like a storm were heard followed by three impacts similar to cannon blasts. After the event, two meteorite pieces weighing 22.5 kilograms and 2.5 kilograms respectively were discovered in the area of the city. A scientific report about the case exists from 1815 (Hammer, 1815), written based on the Ottoman annals of Subi Mohammed Effendi. The two "stones" were sent with a report to the Sublime Porte. The further fate of these two meteorite pieces is unknown. The detailed eyewitness accounts of its fall support the credibility of the event, but there is no data about pieces being preserved in museum collections.

VIRBA METEORITE
The meteorite fell in the area of the village of Virba, Belogradchik region, on May 20, 1874. Information about the event was published by Gabriel-Auguste Daubrée, and a description of the "cosmic stone" was given by Walter Flight, who wrote that the meteorite fell with a strong impact, embedding itself in the ground at a depth of 1 meter. Its weight was 3.6 kg. It was taken from our lands, and pieces of it are found in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, London, the Vatican, and Chicago. The largest piece of the meteorite (3040 g) is in the Museum of Natural History in Budapest. The fragment that entered the meteorite collection in Paris was a gift from Safvet Pasha, who in 1874 was the ambassador of the Ottoman Empire in the French capital.

Virba meteorite in Budapest With permission from Prof. Borislav Toshev https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280558294_METEORITT_OT_BELOGRADCIK


Three pieces of the Virba meteorite, London


Microphotography of texture and minerals from Virba. Meteorite falls in Bulgaria: Reappraisal of mineralogy, chemistry, and classification V. DEKOV, P. ROCHETTE, J. GATTACCECA, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 52, Nr 8, 1649–1659 (2017) doi: 10.1111/maps.12879 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.12879

GUMOSHNIK METEORITE
On April 28, 1904, meteors accompanied by rumbling and whistling were observed over the villages of Vrabevo, Debnevo, and Gumoshnik, after which six meteorite pieces with a total weight of 5.669 kg were discovered in various places. Two meteorites from Debnevo are kept in the Museum of Mineralogy, Petrology, and Useful Minerals at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski." Numerous destructive studies have been conducted on these pieces, resulting in the meteorite pieces having changed appearance and reduced weight from their original state. Parts of the Gumoshnik meteorite are in various collections in Berlin, Vienna, Paris, London, Moscow, and with private individuals.

Gumoshnik-3 (Debnevo village), Troyan municipality, Lovech region, with visible cutting marks in the Museum of Mineralogy, Petrology, and Useful Minerals at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"


Microphotography of texture and minerals from Gumoshnik Meteorite falls in Bulgaria: Reappraisal of mineralogy, chemistry, and classification V. DEKOV, P. ROCHETTE, J. GATTACCECA, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 52, Nr 8, 1649–1659 (2017) doi: 10.1111/maps.12879 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.12879


Private collection piece of the Gumoshnik meteorite, 42 grams
https://www.meteorite-times.com/Back_Links/2006/January/Accretion_Desk.htm

SILISTRA METEORITE
On the morning of July 19, 1917, a bolide was observed in the sky over Elena, Razgrad, and Silistra. Several fragments were collected, but only one weighing 0.15 g reached the Sofia University Museum. After research was conducted, the weight was reduced to 0.125 g.


Meteorite falls in Bulgaria: Reappraisal of mineralogy, chemistry, and classification V. DEKOV, P. ROCHETTE, J. GATTACCECA, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 52, Nr 8, 1649–1659 (2017) doi: 10.1111/maps.12879 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.12879

KONEVO METEORITE
On February 28, 1966, after light sound effects and a trail of smoke in the sky over the village of Konevo, a meteorite fell and broke into several pieces. According to witness accounts, the phenomenon was accompanied by two bangs. A stone weighing about 90 g was found in the village of Konevo. It was broken into several pieces, one of which (1.47 g) was given to the Sofia University Mineralogy Museum through E. Cohen. This is the only material remaining from the original sample. The fate of the other pieces is unknown.

PAVEL METEORITE
The meteorite fell near the village of Pavel (Veliko Tarnovo region) around 2:00 PM on February 28, 1966, which was observed by people working in the field. The fall was accompanied by a glowing streak in the sky and sound effects. Two stones were found (2.962 kg and 6 g), the larger of which made an irregularly shaped hole 30 cm deep. The large meteorite was kept in the Museum of Mineralogy, Petrology, and Useful Minerals at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" until its disappearance in 2000. Meanwhile, the weight of the meteorite was reduced over time due to the destructive methods applied for its research. Somehow, a piece of the Pavel meteorite ended up in a private collection.

Pavel 38g fragment with a polished surface and preserved crust. Private collection
https://www.meteorite-times.com/Back_Links/2006/January/Accretion_Desk.htm

ORLOV DOL METEORITE
In the summer of 2018, near the village of Orlov Dol, Ivan Ivanov, Nedko Rusev, and Zhivko Andonov found an unusual stone weighing 151 kg on the eroded village road. They kept the stone for a whole year before taking steps to identify it. A small sample was examined by Georgi Penev, who confirmed that it was an iron meteorite. He assisted in its classification and registration in the Meteorite Database. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/

Piece of the Orlov Dol iron meteorite and data from the analysis performed by Georgi Penev