Tiny meteorites found in the Sierra foothills of Northern California likely were part of a giant fireball that exploded in daylight with about one-third the explosive force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II, scientists said Wednesday.
The rocks each weighed about 10 grams, or the weight of two nickels, said John T. Wasson, a longtime professor and expert in meteorites at UCLA's Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.
Experts say the flaming meteor was probably about the size of a minivan when it entered the Earth's atmosphere with a loud boom about 8 a.m. PT Sunday. It was seen from Sacramento, Calif., to Las Vegas and parts of northern Nevada.
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