[meteorite-list] chondrule size range?

[MexicoDoug at aol.com]

Tom K wrote:

>I have seen pics of other meteorites with one large
>chondrule,  but never heard an explanation of why.

Hola Tom, I read your question  before going to dinner.  It was supposed to 
be a celebration of the first  day I have permission to go out since a little 
surgery I had last week.  My  date was not very pleased with the outcome.  
 
When I got there there was this salt shaker on the table.  It has one  really 
monster salt grain in it.  My lips baffled my brain as curiosity  gushed out 
of my ears like hot plasma.  Le grité al mesero, "MESERO!"   Hay un grandísimo 
grano de sal en este salero tan chiquillo.  Y como  pensaba que él era 
experto en esos asuntos, y yo, andaba tan mortificado, le  suplicaba que me diera 
respuesta a qué se debía ese enorme grano de sal allí en  mi triste salero.  
Todo un caballero, me inspiró mucha confianza al  decirme, "Sí, señor, no me 
tardo ni un instante."  Y se desvaneció.   Estaba por reventar mi pobre corazón, 
pero enseguida se presentaba el joven  mesero con una tremenda Margarita. Solo 
me dijo, y con mucho respeto, ¡¡ Primero  quítale la tapita del salero, luego 
sácate el enorme granito, y te la echas y te  la tomas todita !!

Now if that is not a more satisfying answer, I  don't know what is.  But you 
might also check out these great little papers  !!  Both a easy to download 
and you can find them with  Google!!

They suggest scatter plotting size distributions in “Phi”  units !! just to 
brush up on pre-algebra!!

For example,
Phi  = -log(D),
where D is precursor grain diameter  in mm.
v=shock velocity of solar gas (by a  shock wave formation model)
n=primitive gas  number density (/cc)
log is base  2
cc=cubic centimeter

You can see  it is an open statistical question as to why-why-why one 
chondrule can be  big-bigger-biggerer.  Was it do to shock wave formation, 
collisions, and  sorting before during or after the chondrules formed?  Can we return to 
a  simple world when all we need to worry about is one grain of salt?  And  
they like playing with the Weibull distribution type which fixes minimum  
chondrule size, 10%-20% of the mean size (0.04 -0.15 mm), (thus mean size is  about 
0.40 mm to 0.75 mm), but imposing no maximum size except for a lot of  
handwaving that reduces to “we weren’t there to see the variety of conditions so  
your guess is as good as mine and we are just trying to masaje the data to fit  
tose half centimeter or larger chondrules that you hapeen to see."  By the  
way, the size of the meteoritic fragment in relation to chondrule size would  
generally not be expected to be related...any more than...well use you  
imagination and figure some of this stuff out for yourself for once, just for  fun...

DUSTSIZE DISTRIBUTION IN SOLAR NEBULA INFERRED FROM  SHOCK­WAVE HEATING 
MODEL FOR CHONDRULE FORMATION.
H. Miura et.  al.
Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV (2004) 

CHONDRULE SIZE  DISTRIBUTIONS
P. H. Benoit et al.
Lunar and Planetary Science XXX  (1999)