Charlottetown meteorite fall (~95 g, H5, S2, W0) in Marshfield near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Queens County, Canada at 17:02:20 ADT (20:02:20 UTC) on 25 July 2024
At 20:02:20 UTC on 25 July 2024 a meteorite (H5) weighing at least 95 grams fell on the walkway of a house in Jenkins Road at location 46°17.345’N, 63°4.111’W and shattered into numerous fragments.
After coming home from their afternoon walk Laura Kelly and her partner Joe Velaidum discovered the grey impact debris of the shattered meteorite on the walkway and lawn of Kelly’s home shortly after the fall. They then checked the recordings of their security camera and discovered that it had in fact recorded the meteorite’s impact visually and acustically. Kelly and Velaidum collected the impact debris and after Kelly’s father who had heard the impact and watched the video told them that it was most likely a meteorite they used the University of Alberta’s Meteorite Reporting System to report the fall and later sent about 7 grams of the material they had collected to Chris Herd at the University of Alberta. Herd analysed the meteorite and visited the impact site about 10 days after the fall. About 95 grams of fragments in total have been collected by Kelly and Velaidum on 25 July, 2 August and 8 August 2024.
“We are now in awe that a piece of ancient interstellar space could travel millions of miles and land, literally, on our doorstep.” (Laura Kelly)
After the only visually recorded impact of the Chelyabinsk main mass onto the frozen surface of Lake Chebarkul in 2013 Kelly and Velaidum’s video is most likely the first video which visually and acustically recorded the impact of a meteorite on the earth’s surface. On 13 January 2025 the fall was officially registered as witnessed fall Charlottetown (H5,S2,W0) in the Meteoritical Bulletin.
Video recording the impact of the meteorite onto the walkway surface. Two frames of the video show the falling meteorite mass during its fall. After the impact about 12 video frames seem to show a few smaller fragments rebounding from the pavement. Video: Laura Kelly
Three still images from the video. The first two show the meteorite mass during its fall in the air and the third one shows its impact on the walkway. Images: Laura Kelly/karmaka (stills)
The impact mark of the shattered meteorite on the walkway surface on 25 July 2024. Photo: Laura Kelly
The meteorite impact has left a small (2×2 cm) impact dent on the pavement. Photo: Laura Kelly
Type specimen material of larger meteorite fragments, collected on 25 July 2024. Photo: University of Alberta Meteorite Collection
Type specimen material of the 16 grams of meteorite fragments which were collected on 2 August 2024. Photo: University of Alberta Meteorite Collection
Type specimen material of the 72 grams of meteorite fragments which were collected on 8 August 2024. Photo: University of Alberta Meteorite Collection
MEDIA
University of Alberta (press release) 13 January 2024
Interview with Chris Herd. CBC News (13 January 2025)
Video: Radio Canada Info (14 January 2025)
