California

Meteorite found in Coloma

Jason Utas, a geology student at UC Berkeley, holds a 7.5-gram fragment of a meteorite called CM chondrite he found Friday in Coloma, Calif. He was among the many people who descended into the area following a fireball on April 22. Utas found the fragment in the David Moore Nature Area off Highway 49, just west of Coloma. Scientists used weather radar to track the movements of the object and predicted it fell near Coloma. The meteorite is a rare class that contains water and carbon compounds that are similar to those responsible for producing life on Earth. It is in this location that gold was first discovered in 1848.

Jason Utas, a geology student at UC Berkeley, holds a 7.5-gram fragment of a meteorite called CM chondrite he found Friday in Coloma, Calif. He was among the many people who descended into the area following a fireball on April 22. Utas found the fragment in the David Moore Nature Area off Highway 49, just west of Coloma. Scientists used weather radar to track the movements of the object and predicted it fell near Coloma. The meteorite is a rare class that contains water and carbon compounds that are similar to those responsible for producing life on Earth. It is in this location that gold was first discovered in 1848.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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A meteorite called CM chondrite fell near Coloma, Calif., on April 22, which was tracked by scientists using weather radar. The meteorite is a rare class that contains water and carbon compounds that are similar to those responsible for producing life on Earth. The meteorite fell near where gold was first discovered in California in 1848. The fireball prompted a massive search by scientists and collectors.

Ryan Turner, geophysics and seismology student

Ryan Turner, 33, a geophysics and seismology student at UC Berkeley, examines fragments along Highway 49 in Coloma, Calif., to see if they are from a meteorite called CM chondrite that fell in the area.   (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Brenda Salveson's find

Brenda Salveson holds a photograph of a 17-gram piece of a meteorite which she found Thursday at Henningson Lotus Park in Lotus, Calif., near Coloma.   (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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