Meteorites from a significant fireball event that garnered widespread attention in northern Ontario last month have been found on Cockburn Island in Lake Huron. Dave Kenny, a resident of Vancouver Island, together with his colleague Anton Clemens, recovered multiple meteorite fragments on July 11. Cockburn Island, situated off the western tip of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron’s North Channel, is mostly uninhabited.
The samples retrieved by the duo were analyzed by the Meteor Physics Group at Western University in London, Ont. The examination confirmed that the rocks originated from a meteor that disintegrated in the atmosphere on June 19, weighing several hundred kilograms and falling to Earth after 8 p.m. Dave Kenny, who has experience hunting for meteorites worldwide, expressed particular excitement about this find as it marked his first meteorite recovery on Canadian soil.
Accessing the meteorites on Cockburn Island was challenging due to significant portions being private or protected land. Kenny coordinated with the Cockburn Island council and the Nature Conservancy of Canada to determine the permitted search areas. The island is only reachable by boat, requiring the team to camp at Meldrum Bay on Manitoulin Island and sail to Cockburn Island daily for their search efforts.
Over two and a half days, Kenny and Clemens scoured the island, covering nearly 50 kilometers on foot each day. Despite the rugged terrain, they located their most substantial find, a 57.6-gram stone, within two hours of arriving on the island. Another fragmented stone was discovered two days later, close to Tolsmaville on Cockburn Island.
The recovered stones, suspected to be chondrites originating from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, will undergo further examination at Western University over the next six months. Kenny emphasized the importance of retrieving the meteorites promptly to prevent damage from ATV tracks.