Dronino

Iron, ungrouped
Found in Russia, 2000

The Dronino strewnfield is situated close to the Russian town of Kasimov, founded in 1152. In this decidedly rural setting, the archaic pastime of wild mushroom hunting is still practiced. And so it was that the Dronino iron meteorite was accidentally found in the year 2000 by Oleg Gus’Kov, a man in search of earthbound fungi.

Extensive work at the site by professional meteorite hunters followed and it was the site of a third season episode (“Dronino”) of TV’s series “Meteorite Men.” Due to the number of masses found, and their size and disposition, it has been suggested by expert hunters that Dronino is a buried impact site (soil crater), though no definitive evidence is currently on record.