science

Pultusk (meteorite)

Pultusk (meteorite) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pultusk (meteorite) rather than just read about it. In short: Pultusk is an H5 ordinary chondrite meteorite which fell on 30 January 1868 in Poland near the town of Pułtusk. The event has been known as the stony meteorite shower with the largest number of pieces yet recorded in history.

Key takeaways

Pultusk (meteorite) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pultusk (meteorite) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pultusk (meteorite) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pultusk is an H5 ordinary chondrite meteorite which fell on 30 January 1868 in Poland near the town of Pułtusk. The event has been known as the stony meteorite shower with the largest number of pieces yet recorded in history. Made up of rocky debris, it consists of pyroxene or olivine chondrules deployed in massive plagioclase. Kamacite is also reported.

History The fall occurred on 30 January 1868, at 7:00 pm near the town of Pułtusk, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Warsaw. Thousands of people witnessed a large fireball followed by detonations and a very large shower of small fragments falling on ice, land and houses within an area of about 127 sq km (appx. 78 sq miles). The estimated number of fragments was 68,780. The fragments ranged in weight from half a gram to 9.095 kilograms (20.05 lb) (the largest specimen). The overall estimated mass of the meteorites was 8,863 kilograms (19,540 lb). The vast majority of the fragments were small (few grams), known as Pultusk Peas. The Pultusk meteorite is the largest stony meteorite shower ever recorded.

Composition and classification Pultusk is brecciated and contains two varieties of xenoliths embedded in a dark brecciated matrix. It is a veined and brecciated chondrite with abundant xenoliths with various degrees of recrystallisation. Petrologic type 5 xenoliths prevail, so it has been classified as H5, an ordinary chondrite significantly thermally metamorphosed and with the contours of the chondrules frequently difficult to distinguish. The main minerals are olivine and bronzite. Kamacite, troilite and chromite are also present.

Chemical composition

The chemical elements and the respective quantity found in the Pultusk meteorite have been described as SiO2 36.44 wt%, TiO2 0.18 wt%, Al2O3 1.88 wt%, Cr2O3 0.37 wt%, FeO 9.48 wt%, MnO 0.25 wt%, MgO 23.75 wt%, CaO 1.82 wt%, Na2O 0.83 wt%, K2O 0.09 wt%, P2O5 0.22 wt%, Fe 16.02 wt%, Ni 1.61 wt%, FeS 5.97 wt%, Fe (metallic) 17.62 wt%, Ni (metallic) 9.13 wt%, Fe as iron sulfide 3.80 wt%, S as iron sulfide 2.17 wt%, total content of iron 27.19 wt%.

See also Glossary of meteoritics Sikhote-Alin (meteorite)

Gallery

Additional information

Notes

References

External links

Museum of the Faculty of Geology of the Warsaw University: Pultusk Meteorites: An Introduction, on Google Books Meteoritical Bulletin Database: Pultusk

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pultusk (meteorite)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pultusk (meteorite) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pultusk (meteorite) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pultusk (meteorite) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pultusk (meteorite)

In research: Pultusk (meteorite) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pultusk (meteorite) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pultusk (meteorite) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1868 in Poland, 1868 in science, 1868 in the Russian Empire, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pultusk (meteorite) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Pultusk (meteorite)” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Pultusk (meteorite) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pultusk (meteorite) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pultusk (meteorite) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pultusk (meteorite) in simple terms?

Why does Pultusk (meteorite) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pultusk (meteorite)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pultusk (meteorite).