Meteor may have landed near Lake Louise

October 18, 2001
Source: Rocky Mountain Outlook

By Craig Douce

Bow Valley skywatchers were treated to a brilliant daytime light show and accompanying thunderous soundtrack last Sunday (Oct. 14) as a large meteor burst through the atmosphere and disintegrated near Lake Louise.

The event, which saw a long, spark-like burst followed by a deep resonating explosion, was witnessed from Medicine Hat to Vancouver, and was significant due to the estimated size of the object.

"It was one of the few biggest, if not the biggest, that falls in Canada this year," said Alan Hildebrand, coordinator of the Calgary-based Canadian Fireball Reporting Centre.

"This is exciting; it certainly doesn't happen every day."

Hildebrand estimates the meteor's weight at between one and 10 tons, and said it was the largest reported meteor event in Canada for 2001.

Alan Dyer of the Calgary Science Centre, who fielded more than 200 calls relating to the meteor between Sunday and Tuesday (Oct. 16), says the resulting meteorites that fell to earth were likely "fist-sized," although meteorites typically range in size from dust to football-sized boulders.

"You wouldn't want to be hit by one," he said.

Catherine Hinkley, a resident of Lake Louise, reported feeling unusual air pressure fluctuations inside her home as well as earthquake-like effects. "It was almost like the walls were pulsating," she said.

"Everything was shaking for a good 10 seconds."

Hildebrand said the pulsing sensation was a result of 'infrasound' - powerful, yet inaudible sound waves created by the meteor's detonation.

Andre Schwartz was hiking in the area and heard the meteor disintegrate. "It sounded like an explosion," he said.

"We were joking with other hikers that it was an attack of some sort," he said. Several witnesses were more seriously concerned with the thought of terrorism.

"We had people calling us up wondering if it was a terrorist rocket attack," said Gord Irwin, a Lake Louise park warden.

"We contacted the Department of National Defence," said Rupert Wedgwood, a warden in Jasper National Park, following a report that an aircraft in distress fired a flare.

"It rattled some windows, and at the Lake Louise Inn it was sufficient enough to cause the automatic doors to open," said Irwin.

Hildebrand, as a result of many eyewitness accounts, is confident the meteor met its demise approximately 25 kilometres east northeast of Lake Louise.

"It would currently seem that the terminal burst occurred over the Banff National Park," he said.

"I would expect meteorites would have fallen within the park."

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