[meteorite-list] Update: Meteorite Fall outside Patch Grove WI 20 Jan 2022

[Fries, Marc D. (JSC-XI211)]

Howdy all

              After parsing through some more data I've convinced myself that there was a (probably small) meteorite fall near Patch Grove, WI on 20 January.  NASA Meteor Watch (look them up on Facebook) reports that this fireball was very slow-moving, near the lower limit of infall velocities for meteoroids.  This makes for a relatively weak fireball and enhanced chance of meteorite survival - but it also means this could be a small body that wouldn't have survived if not for the low speed, and few meteorites were produced.  On radar I see radar signatures from falling meteorites of mean masses 2.8g and 0.2g, seen on two different radars (KARX and KGRB) which improves confidence in the detection.  Seismic data shows a relatively weak sonic boom, and only one AMS eyewitness reported hearing this one and it was electrophonic noise and not a sonic boom.  It does not show up in GLM data.
              All told, my conclusion was this was a small body that produced a small fall, largely on account of its very low infall speed.  The ground is mostly farmland and should be favorable for recovery.  It might be best to focus on finding meteorites in the sub-100g range, but that is just my opinion.

NASA Meteorite Falls page is up:

https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/meteorite-falls/

If you have trouble with the website try using a phone.  I can't see it on my computer but it shows up fine on my phone.

Good luck!
Marc Fries
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