Ground-based sensors can distinguish intact from fragmented meteoroid fireballs

Ground-based sensors can distinguish intact from fragmented meteoroid fireballs

The seismic signature of a fireball meteoroid event can be used to tell whether the fireball fragmented or remained intact as it fell through the atmosphere, according to new research published in Seismological Research Letters.

Can Seismic Signals Detect Fragmentation of a Fireball Meteoroid? | Seismological Society of America

23 July 2025—The seismic signature of a fireball meteoroid event can be used to tell whether the fireball fragmented or remained intact as it fell through the atmosphere, according to new research published in Seismological Research Letters. The 2020 return of the sample capsule from the asteroid-exploring Hayabusa2 mission to southern Australia offered a unique opportunity to test this idea, write Iona Clemente at Curtin University and colleagu…