A mysterious blast was felt across Nicaragua’s crowded capital Managua on Saturday night. It appeared to have been caused by a meteorite which left a large crater. The impact was so powerful it registered in the instrument used by Seismic Institute to size up earthquakes. It was fortunate that the meteorite crashed onto a wooded area of the capital near Managua’s international airport and an air force base. Authorities said the impact did not cause any injuries in the city of 1.2 million people, but a deep crater was found in the impact site. The crater created is 39 feet in diameter and 16 feet deep said Humberto Saballos, a volcanologist with the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies. Saballos, who is a member of a committee formed by the Nicaraguan government to study the incident, said the meteorite was relatively small that “appears to have come off an asteriod passing close to earth.” The committee is still trying to find out if the meteorite disintegrated upon impact or was buried. The meteorite, according to Humberto Garcia of the Astronomy Center at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, could be a part of the asteriod that was forecast to pass by earth on Saturday night.
Locals who heard the loud bang coming from the impact sound thought it was caused by an earthquake. Nicaruagua has more than 20 active volcanoes and is regularly shaken by earthquakes. What expert found strange was the absence of report of a streak of light observed in the sky. A bright streak of light in the sky is caused when a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere. The streak of light is produced from heat generated by the meteoroid traveling into the Earth’s atmosphere. A local resident, Jorge Santamaria, told reporters he was sitting on his porch when he suddenly heard a loud noise. He said he did not see anything prior to the blast. “It was very strange that no one reported a streak of light. We have to ask if anyone has a photo or something,” said Wilfried Strauch, an adviser to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies. Rosario Murillo, the first lady of Nicaragua and also its spokesperson, said they would coordinate with the United States Geological Services to try to get more information about the fascinating event. News Source(s) : Inquirer, The Tico Times, Latin America Info, Reuters
EMBEDDING IS FREE. Copy this code below.
A mysterious blast was felt across Nicaragua’s crowded capital Managua on Saturday night. It appeared to have been caused by a meteorite which left a large crater. The impact was so powerful it registered in the instrument used by Seismic Institute to size up earthquakes. It was fortunate that the meteorite crashed onto a wooded area of the capital near Managua’s international airport and an air force base. Authorities said the impact did not cause any injuries in the city of 1.2 million people, but a deep crater was found in the impact site. The crater created is 39 feet in diameter and 16 feet deep said Humberto Saballos, a volcanologist with the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies. Saballos, who is a member of a committee formed by the Nicaraguan government to study the incident, said the meteorite was relatively small that “appears to have come off an asteriod passing close to earth.” The committee is still trying to find out if the meteorite disintegrated upon impact or was buried. The meteorite, according to Humberto Garcia of the Astronomy Center at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, could be a part of the asteriod that was forecast to pass by earth on Saturday night. Locals who heard the loud bang coming from the impact sound thought it was caused by an earthquake. Nicaruagua has more than 20 active volcanoes and is regularly shaken by earthquakes. What expert found strange was the absence of report of a streak of light observed in the sky. A bright streak of light in the sky is caused when a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere. The streak of light is produced from heat generated by the meteoroid traveling into the Earth’s atmosphere. A local resident, Jorge Santamaria, told reporters he was sitting on his porch when he suddenly heard a loud noise. He said he did not see anything prior to the blast. “It was very strange that no one reported a streak of light. We have to ask if anyone has a photo or something,” said Wilfried Strauch, an adviser to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies. Rosario Murillo, the first lady of Nicaragua and also its spokesperson, said they would coordinate with the United States Geological Services to try to get more information about the fascinating event. News Source(s) : Inquirer, The Tico Times, Latin America Info, Reuters 