[meteorite-list] Experts Skeptical of Peruvian Meteorite Impact

[Sterling K. Webb]

Hi, Jason, List,

    The statements are true, but in a narrow and precise sense.
The keyword here is SMALL. Small irons do make it to earth;
small stones do not. I don't know if he scaled a range of
impactor sizes from the size of the crater and a variety of
velocites, or just eyeballed it.

    If you go to the online impact effect calculator:
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/  and fiddle
with one velocity (15 km/s) and one angle (45 degrees)
and model small stones versus small iron (same weight),
you'll see a given weight of stone fragment at high altitudes
while the same weight of iron gets to the ground.

    As the weight goes up and up, the stone fragments
closer and closer to the ground, until finally it, too, gets
to make a crater. Of course, there are always odd and
unlikely impacts: a very slow entry speed, a low angle
of encounter, an aerodynamic shape, but they are rare.


Sterling K. Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jason Utas" <meteoritekid at gmail.com>
To: "Meteorite-list" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 6:29 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Experts Skeptical of Peruvian Meteorite Impact


Hello All,

This particular bit really makes me wonder about those fellows up at JPL...

>It's not impossible that the crater was left by a meteorite, Yeomans
said, but if so, then the impact object most likely was small, based
on the size of the crater. It would also probably have been a metal
meteorite, because those are the only kind of small meteorites that
don't burn up as they plummet through Earth's atmosphere, he added.
Small stony meteorites rarely make it to the surface.

...Does anyone else find his statement...completely wrong?  I mean -
I'm used to such stuff coming out of reporters from god-knows-where,
but from a JPL employee...

Jason

On 9/20/07, Paul <bristolia at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Scientists Doubt Meteorite Sickened Peruvians by
> By Andrea Thompson, Space.com, September 19, 2007
>
> http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070919_peru_meteorite.html
>
> Experts: 'Meteor' Gases Likely Caused by Geyser,
> Fox News September 19, 2007
>
> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297369,00.html
>
> The only saving grace about this story is the last line,
>
> which reads:
>
>
>
> "Peruvian geologists are on their way to examine the crater,
>
> according to news reports."
>
>
>
> Hopefully, this means someone will get down to the bottom
>
> of this mess and determine what really happened.
>
> These stories have been followed by:
>
> Peruvian Geophysicist Confirms Claim of Meteorite Crash
> By Monte Hayes, Associated Press, September. 19, 2007
>
> http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070919_ap_meteorite_peru.html
>
> It stated:
>
> "Jose
> Mechare, a scientist with Peru's Geological, Mining
> and Metallurgical
> Institute, said a geologist had confirmed
> that it was a "rocky
> meteorite,'' based on the fragments
> analyzed."
>
> The sickness was explained by this line in the article:
>
> "He said
> fear may have provoked psychosomatic ailments."
>
> They article finally statesd:
>
> "She said that after the meteorite struck, small rocks
> rained
> down on the roof of her house for several minutes and she
> feared the
> house was going to collapse."
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>
>
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