On the evening of 12 February 1875 above Iowa a brilliant fireball was observed. About 100 meteorite fragments fell over a 18-square-mile (47 km2) snowy countryside area from Amana to Boltonville in Iowa County. The first found fragment, a stone weighing about 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb), was discovered by Sarah Sherlock 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Homestead.[2] The area was wooded and covered by snow, impeding recovery efforts. On 10 February a 40 centimetres (16 in) snowfall blanketed the ground, preventing the great majority of the fragments from being discovered until Spring. The 74 pounds (34 kg) main mass was found along with a 48 pounds (22 kg) fragment buried 2 feet (0.61 m) in the soil.[2]
As of December 2011, approximately 230 kilograms (510 lb) has been found.
^ abPaul Garvin, Iowa's minerals: their occurrence, origins, industries, and lore. University of Iowa Press, 1998. 187
Bibliography
Ivanova, M. A.; Krot, A. N.; Mitreikina, O. B.; Zinovieva, N. G., "Chromite-rich Inclusions in the Homestead (L5) Chondrite", Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, volume 23, page 585, 03/1992.