[meteorite-list] Meteor Clue To End Of Middle East Civilizations

From: Starbits_at_aol.com <Starbits_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:47:05 2004
Message-ID: <75.1da0bf54.291970ef_at_aol.com>

<I wonder if this could be the source crater for the Libyan Desert Glass?? Perhaps the age match isn't a good one.>

Hello Al

   I think this is doubtful, Iraq and Libya are far apart.

   When I did my web page on impact craters larger than 10 meters <http://www.star-bits.com/impact-craters.htm>
I noticed that almost all the craters less than 50,000 years old had meteorite fragments associated with them. There were 10 irons, a mesosiderite, and a pallasite. If this is an impact crater and the impactor was an iron or stony iron there are likely fragments.
   Of the remaining 2 craters, Rio Cuarto I think is believed to be a chondrite impactor and I don't have any information on Macha. It is interesting that although stone meteorites are much more common than irons or stony-irons, 12 of the 14 impact craters (85%) greater than 10 meters are not of chondritic origin. This would indicate the Iraq impactor (if it is really a crater) is likely an iron and fragments could be found. If is was chondritic, any fragments found would be the first by a large chondritic impactor. Anybody up for a trip to Iraq to meet Mr. So Damn Insane and check it out?

Eric Olson
http://www.star-bits.com
   
Received on Tue 06 Nov 2001 11:59:27 AM PST