Russian Meteorite Craters Found Near the Urals Mountains

Researchers have found several craters believed to be caused by fragments of the meteorite that crashed over Russian in mid-February

The craters are near the Russian Urals below the surface of the Chebarkul Lake, RT reports, where divers are searching for the space rocks from the February 15 meteorite strike that made headlines around the world.

Reports say that the search is being hampered by cold weather and stirred mud from the bottom of the lake that make it difficult to see. Divers are using high powered lights and probes to help in the search.

Researchers from Ekaterinburg are expected to arrive on the scene on Thursday to conduct a magnetic survey of the location. Their findings may be released later in the evening, reports say.These scientists are hoping to find space rocks weighing dozens of kilograms. So far some pieces of the meteorite have been found in the Chelyabinsk region, the largest weighing an estimated one kilogram.

Since the crash, meteorite hunters have swarmed Chetyabinsk in search of the highly valuable rocks. The Guardian reported that the small pieces of the meteorite can sell for $10,000 on the market.

NASA say the meteorite was the largest to strike Earth in over a hundred years, estimating it weighed an estimated 10,000 tons and was 55-feet in diameter, Data collected by global sensors also indicates the meteorite released 500 kilotons of energy as it disintegrated in flight toward the impact zone, 30 times more than the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima.

Roughly 1,000 injuries were reported as a result of the crash.