[meteorite-list] Re: Any Meteorites of Earth Origin?

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:47:10 2004
Message-ID: <20011112200630.67656.qmail_at_web10405.mail.yahoo.com>

------------ Original Message --------------
Date: 12 Nov 2001 10:37:28 -0800
To: jgrossman_at_usgs.gov
From: meteorites_at_space.com

Subject: Re: Any Meteorites of Earth Origin?

Steve Schoner wrote:
> >The morphological structure of the Australites
> >(Flanged buttons, flanged dumbells, propeller
> >types) all indicate hypersonic entry into the
> >atmosphere. They were produced in SE Asia, ejected

> >to high altitude, perhpas thousands of miles,
> >traveled in ballistic trajectories to fall in
> >Australia where they are found today.
> >
> >The closest thing to "terrestrial meteorites" if
> >you ask me....

> Jeff Grossman wrote:
> Close, but no cigar. They did not achieve escape
> velocity or orbit the Earth. They are tektites, not

> meteorites, by our definition.
> jeff

The big question - what would "terrestrial meteorites"
look like?
And would the ejection of such be so violent that the
material would be like tektites--- hum something to
consider.

Steve Schoner
-------------- End of Original Message -------------

Steve has raised a very good question.

In a personal communication with Paul Warren of UCLA,
he explained to me the reason that we have Martian and
lunar meteorites, but not "terrestrial meteorites", is
because of the larger size/gravity of Earth, and the
energy necessary to reach escape velocity is more than
enough to, if not vaporize any ejecta, at least melt
it all and solidify as a glass (read tektite).

So, either tektites are incapable of going into orbit
because the energy required is prohibitively too
great, or some tektites have the possibility of
becoming, by definition, meteorites.

Bob V.



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Received on Mon 12 Nov 2001 03:06:30 PM PST