Project Blue Book Case File
Snohomish, WashingtonSeptember 1962
Summary
In September 1962, someone near Snohomish, Washington found a light grey, lightweight object and reported it to the Air Force. Because the discovery came shortly after the Soviet Union's Sputnik IV satellite fell back to Earth on September 3, officials suspected the object might be space debris.
The Air Force sent the object to its Aeronautical Systems Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio for analysis. Scientists used multiple testing methods to identify what it was. They examined it for radioactivity, analyzed its chemical composition, studied its crystal structure with X-rays, and checked it under infrared light. The tests showed the object was made of bentonite clay, the same material used to make certain types of ceramics and drilling fluids.
The laboratory concluded the object was not part of a space vehicle. Instead, they determined it had been formed when a lightning bolt or electrical arc from a broken high-tension power line melted clay and soil. The molten material cooled rapidly, either in water or wet ground, creating the hard outer layer and cracked core that scientists observed. Pebbles found embedded in the outer layer suggested the object had formed in or near a stream bed. The Air Force agreed with this conclusion and closed the case, ruling out any connection to Sputnik or outer space.
The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 9 pages.
Reported location
Snohomish, Washington
Date of incident
September 1962
State / country
WA / US
Page count
9 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 46