[meteorite-list] Dino killer size

Sterling K. Webb sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net
Fri Apr 11 17:08:42 EDT 2008


Hi, EP, List,

    I think the method will prove valuable. Tho I know
little of the chemistry of osmium, they say that, once 
vaporized, it goes "with" the atmospheric moisture
and is rained out and ends up in the muck. The iridium
distribution is spotty and hard to find, but ocean (and
lake) muck is widespread. 

    Now that they've found the cosmic osmium where
we expect it to be, I want'em to look for osmium-188 
spikes (or enrichment) in some long sedimentary cores
from geologically more recent times for evidence of 
impacts we are unaware of, or only suspect.


Sterling K. Webb
-------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "E.P. Grondine" <epgrondine at yahoo.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 11:46 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Dino killer size


Hi Sterling - 

I would imagine a lot of the cosmic osmium would have
been "sequestered" in the impact spherules. The KT
fossil meteorite seems to have been ignored by this
group, so

How would you determine the composition of what hit?
First, take samples from around the crater. Then
working from known densities and crater size, estimate
your velocity.

That said, the idea of using osmium ratios as a way of
detecting impacts to have occurred looks valid.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas



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