Krähenberg, LL5 chondrite meteorite from Krähenberg, Sickinger Höhe, Germany

Krähenberg is an LL chondrite meteorite housed in the Palatinate Museum of Natural History in Bad Dürkheim. The rock displays a grainy texture with distinct mineral grains visible to the naked eye, representing material that formed in the early solar system.

This meteorite fell to Earth in 1869 in the Sickingen Heights region of Germany. The event attracted immediate scientific attention, and researchers studied the specimen to understand its composition and cosmic origins.

The meteorite resides in the Palatinate Museum, which maintains geological specimens and provides educational programs about extraterrestrial materials.

The original meteorite is kept at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer; faithful replicas are shown at the Palatinate Museum of Natural History in Bad Dürkheim and at the Geoskop on Lichtenberg Castle. At the impact site near Krähenberg, a memorial stone with an information panel marks the spot, and the 30 km Meteoritenweg long-distance trail, laid out in 2009, passes it.

The Krähenberg meteorite is one of the rare "oriented" meteorites: it held a stable position during its flight, so its convex front side melted and kept radial flow structures, the regmaglypts, that later solidified. It is shaped like a flat, nearly round loaf about 30 cm across and 18 cm thick.