A Preliminary Analysis of the Shangri-La Bolide on 2017 Oct 4

TL;DR

This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the Shangri-La bolide event on October 4, 2017, including observational data, impact energy estimation, and its significance as a large overland bolide event.

Contribution

It offers the first detailed report and impact energy estimate of the Shangri-La bolide, highlighting its significance among recent large overland bolide events.

Findings

Impact energy approximately 0.54 kt TNT

Largest overland bolide since 2016

Impact location at 28.1°N, 99.4°E

Abstract

At 12:07 UT (8:07 pm China Standard Time) on 2017 Oct 4, a bright bolide was widely observed in the Shangri-La region in the Province of Yunnan, China (Figure 1). The event was well observed by the general public as it took place on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival which associates with moon gazing. Sonic booms and ground shaking were reported in an area about a thousand square kilometers wide to the northwest of the Shangri-La City. Data from the U.S. government sensor suggested that the impact energy of the event is approximately 0.54 kt TNT equivalent, with the terminus of the bolide positioned at $28.1^\circ$ N, $99.4^\circ$ E. This is the largest observed bolide event overland since the bolide event took place in Mauritania on 2016 Jun 27 (1.2 kt). In this Research Note we present a preliminary analysis of this event.