Meteorite Leaves Seismic Traces

On March 15, 2015, at 8.45 p.m., seismic stations across the whole of Northeastern Switzerland picked up signals from a meteorite. The sound waves triggered by the meteorite were recorded over a four-minute period from Urnerland to Glarus and all the way to beyond Lake Constance. A station near Andermatt in the canton of Uri was the first to register the meteorite. The Seismological Service received seven reports from people who had heard rumbling sounds. With careful analysis, the seismic data can be used to constrain the path and landing site. The SED is collaborating with international experts in order to improve our understanding of the event. It seems likely meteoroid fragments landed in the Ticino.