Half-Ton Meteorite Pulled From Russia Lake

A big chunk of meteorite, believed to be part of the one that rocked Russia in February, has been pulled from a lake in the Ural Mountains. Divers hauled the 5-foot rock out of Lake Chebarkul today, in an event broadcast live on Russian TV. Things got a bit rocky, however, when the chunk broke into three parts as it was lifted up to a scale. Then the scale itself broke at the 1,255-pound mark. One scientist says the rock is believed to be at least 1,322 pounds, reports Phys.org.

"Some peculiarities characteristic of stone meteorites prove that it’s a fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite," a scientist at Chelyabinsk State University tells Voice of Russia. "In all probability, it will rank among the top 10 largest meteorites ever found." One local news station says officials have already recovered 12 other rocks from the lake, though only only four or five ended up being actual parts of the meteorite, AFP reports. (More meteorites stories.)