[meteorite-list] Searching for Meteorites

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:50:22 2004
Message-ID: <3CAA9BDD.24F1DA6C_at_bhil.com>

Hi,

    You may in for a great many magnetic mowing seasons! I'm quoting myself
here (if I don't, who will?), from my prior post of Dec. 9, 2000, "How Many
Meteorites Fall?"

    "Taking the area of the Earth to be 5.1 x 10^8 km^2 and the
meteorite flux to be 23,930 yr^-1, this yields the assumed collisional
cross section of the earth to be 21,360 km^2 yr^-1. This rate means that
one meteorite per year falls on an area of 21,320 square kilometers. The
inverse function of this value is how long we have to wait for a
meteorite to fall on a standard area, or the mean time to impact: 21,360
yr km^-2. To put this flux into perspective, if you owned a house with a
half-acre yard, you would have to wait 10,552,000 years for a meteorite
to fall in your front or back yard or on your roof! (On average, that
is; it could happen tomorrow.)"

    Of course, if the rate of fall is 10 times greater or if your yard is
much bigger, you would only have to wait, on average, one million years!


Sterling K. Webb :-D
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason Phillips wrote:

> Hello List,
> As I am preparing for the spring lawn moving season I decided to combine
> my favorite hobby with the mundane chore of mowing the yard. I am going
> to attach magnets to the sides and front of my mower in hopes of finding
> a treasure (meteorite) in my yard. Any ideas or suggestions would be
> appreciated.
>
> Take Care,
> Jason Phillips
> Rocks From Heaven.com
Received on Wed 03 Apr 2002 01:06:22 AM PST