Ortenau
Seen to fall in 1671 in Germany · 4.5 kg recovered · Unclassified stone
Only 11 falls in NASA’s Meteorite Landings dataset (records to 2013) carry an earlier date than Ortenau. It is the earliest of the 31 falls recorded in Germany.
- Group
- Unclassified stones
- Recorded position
- 48.500° N, 8.000° E
The map is centred on Ortenau. Rings every 50 km; numbers match the table below.
Nearest recorded falls
The closest recorded fall to Ortenau is Ensisheim, 85 km to the south-west. Within 250 km lie 16 other recorded falls.
| # | Fall | Year | Class | Recovered | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ensisheim | 1491 | LL6 | 127 kg | 85 km south-west |
| 2 | Krähenberg | 1869 | LL5 | 17 kg | 100 km north-west |
| 3 | Épinal | 1822 | H5 | 277 g | 119 km west |
| 4 | Utzenstorf | 1928 | H5 | 3.4 kg | 157 km south |
| 5 | Darmstadt | 1804 | H5 | 100 g | 159 km north |
| 6 | Simmern | 1920 | H5 | 1.2 kg | 168 km north |
What Unclassified stone means
Unclassified stone is the label for a stony meteorite that was never assigned to a group. By recovered mass Ortenau ranks sixth of the 23 Unclassified stone falls. The nearest other Unclassified stone fall is Rodach in Germany, 289 km away. In date order among Unclassified stone falls, the one before Ortenau is Mount Vaisi (1637, France) and the one after is Rasgrad (1740, Bulgaria).
Ortenau in Germany’s record
By recovered mass Ortenau comes ninth of 31 there. The next fall recorded in Germany is Rodach, in 1775.
Before 1800
Ortenau is one of 35 falls dated before 1800. No fall outside Germany is dated 1671 in the record.