[meteorite-list] Origin Of Sydney Fallen Ice Chunk A Mystery

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:36 2004
Message-ID: <200103071930.LAA14309_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/story_3088.asp

Origin of Sydney fallen ice chunk a mystery
Nine News (Australia)
March 7, 2001

Authorities were stumped today over the origin of a chunk of ice that
crashed through the roof and ceiling of a house on Sydney's northern
beaches.

No-one was hurt when the ice-cream container sized block smashed apart on
the bathroom floor of a 63-year-old woman in Coles Road, Harbord at 7.15pm
(AEDT) yesterday, Manly police said.

Hail had been ruled out and the area was not under a flight path which
accounted for the two likely culprits, they said.

Inspector Paul Hume said the woman was home when she heard a crashing noise.

"When she looked around she saw chunks of ice on her bathroom floor."

He said police and the fire brigade found three broken tiles and a hole the
ceiling.

"There was hole in the ceiling above ... three house tiles were smashed."

He said no-one was injured and estimated the ice ball would have weighed
around one-and-a-half kilograms.

"The ice ball was the size of an ice cream container and maybe one and a
half kilos," he said.

Police made inquiries with the duty forecaster at the weather bureau who
ruled out any hail activity.

Insp Hume said the only explanation seemed to be that the ice block fell
from a plane.

However, he added the area was not under a flight path.

An Airservices Australia spokesman said it was "virtually impossible" that
the ice had fallen from a plane.

"For the ice to freeze on the aeroplane, it would have to be flying at a
very high level," he said.

Samples of the ice would be tested in an attempt to establish where it came
from, police said.
Received on Wed 07 Mar 2001 02:30:17 PM PST