The meteorite was seen traveling northeast over 54 miles – from Mount Mansfield State Forest to Beach Hill in Orleans County south of Newport, the agency said.
NASA Meteor Watch said the object was probably a fragment of an asteroid, while the quake reported by witnesses was caused by a pressure difference between the front and back of the object.
“The space rock violently fragmented and caused a pressure wave that rattled buildings and generated the sound heard by those near the orbit,” the agency said. “Such a pressure wave can also act in the ground, causing slight ‘tremor’ that can be picked up by seismic instruments in the area.”
Based on infrared sound measurements, which are a low frequency that can cover large distances, the agency was able to measure the fireball weighing about 10 pounds with a diameter of about six inches.
The agency calls it “a beautiful fireworks display, thanks to Mother Nature.”