Meteorite and bright fireball records from Cuba

Abstract

This paper provides a comprehensive catalog of meteorite landfalls from existing records for the Cuban archipelago. We register a total of two official meteorites, and eight unofficial, empirically unconfirmed, or questionable. The oldest record extends back to 1833, whereas the oldest recovered meteorite pertains to an event in 1844 for which fragments were hitherto unpublished. Although several specimens likely constitute new records, they have not been formally analysed, and thus their classification as meteorites is dubious or pending. Our records draw attention to the frequency of meteorite landfall as a field that still requires development in Cuba. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of amateur and professional observers and collectors to improve the record, and creates a historic review to preserve the memory of fireball and meteorite related events in Cuba. Moreover, it provides a basis for future analyses that may help to confirm or reject some of these records.