[meteorite-list] Dam Hammer

[Darren Garrison]

On Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:24:45 -0700, you wrote:

>Suppose a meteorite fragment struck the Hoover Dam and was recovered? 
>Would that be considered a hammer or no? 

See, that's the problem with a nebulous term.  There are lots of ways to build a
dam-- pile up dirt, use field stones (with some sort of sealant/mortar in the
gaps), use sand bags, use bricks, use logs (again, with a sealant), use poured
concrete...

Let's say, for the sake of argument, hitting a poured concrete dam (like the
Hoover) DOES make a hammer-- but hitting an earthen dam DOES NOT make a hammer.
Okay, that has established upper and lower limits of hammerdom-- but at what
point in the grade from dirt to concrete does the artificially-built dam become
"artificial enough" to be concidered a hammerable object?  When does the bloom
become Michael's tomato?