[meteorite-list] Re: Question about Meteorites on the Moon - our thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
From: Mark Miconi <mam602_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:52:24 2004 Message-ID: <003801c24ec5$9db1e340$54b60344_at_ph.cox.net> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0035_01C24E8A.F120B0A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Elton, He understood your answers perfectly. He was thrilled by everyones = answers and it has only fueled his desire to learn more!=20 A heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone that took time to answer his = questions. It is hard these days to find wholesome things to interest a = child, I am lucky that my son enjoys learning, the outdoors, meteorites = and most of all ME! Thanks again to everyone! Mark and Christopher Miconi ----- Original Message -----=20 From: EL Jones=20 To: Mark Miconi=20 Cc: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 Sent: Monday, August 26, 2002 2:39 PM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Question about Meteorites on the Moon Ok Mark and Christopher I'll take a stab I don't know how = untechnical I can be. Q1:First he wanted to know if a meteor hits the moon is it = technically a meteorite or are only meteors that hit the earth called a = meteorite? My answer was that once a meteoroid hits a terrestrial body = it is technically a meteorite. A1: Technically under the old distinction a "meteor" can't occur on = the moon as a meteor is the flash of light in the atmosphere. IMHO it is = a definition that needs updating. I believe when a meteoroid lands on = the moon it is a meteorite. In mineral nomenclature the Body e.g. = Meteor, Impact, Anthra, is the origin and the suffix -ite..means the = physical rock/mineral object from the source. Hence Meteorite, = Impactite, and so on. The term "regolyth" is the near equivalent to the = term"soil" and is dervied from the pounding of the moon by = meteorites/asteroids. The regolyth is also enriched by material from the = solar wind and contains more than just meteorites and moon rock. Q2: Second he wanted to know what if any changes would occur to a = meteorite once it is on the moon? He is very smart and understands that = weathering and a general erosion begins once a meteorite hits the earth = due to the actions of our atmosphere, wind and rain. He was wondering if = it were common place to go to the moon easily and find meteorites if = they would be pristine or would solar winds, and other impacts by space = dust, micro meteorites and the such erode them? And if the swings in = temperature extremes that can occur on the moon effect them in any way. = My answer was that they would probably change a bit over time, but the = amount of time that would be needed to cause any changes would be = exponentially greater than that of earth. A2: Yes, Yes, and Yes. Chemical recycling and weathering on the = moon is much different and would be limited to contact of finely = pulverized powders and scant gasses liberated by past volcanos/heating/, = gasses,(i.e. sulfites, ammonia, O2, CO , and etc) liberatedfrom = meteorites etc. It just isn't a player in the alteration of a = meteorite. Appearance-wise there is no fusion crust -- but there may = mainly only be meteorite "powder". There is a strong possibility that = only the very largest meteorites exist in that collision forces converts = the bulk of the meteorites into dust and molten dropplets. Meteorite = nodules /shards are likely below the surface unless reexcavated by a = subsequent impact. The dust layer on the moon is the 99.99%result of = impacts.See Bill Arnet's site on the Moon = <http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html> and = Nasa's Apollo Discovery Page = <http://www.nasm.edu/apollo/apollotop10.htm> Moon Dust is composed of angular grains of various sizes and melted = glass beads. The dust appears to contain grains of both moon rock and = meteorites alike. There are several websites which have photos and = descriptions of moon dust. Both the Americans and Russians brought back = dust samples. Solar wind and Cosmic rays change the nature of the = minerals on the surface. By in large lunar soil is well mixed, churned, = and not unlike howardites.=20 The heating cooling cycle on the moon is less destructive due to the = lack of water/ice. There is virtually "no heat/cool cycle" transport = down slope such as seen by freeze/ thaw on Earth. be it remembered also = that lunar rotation is 28=B1 days so the heat/cool = (expansion/retraction) cycle is far more gradual than on earth.. Q3: The third question he asked was since there is virtually no = weather on the moon to stir up dust and bury them meteorites would it be = harder to find meteorites on the moon? My answer was that since there is = no atmosphere to slow their descent that the impact speed would probably = determine whether the meteorites would end up buried deeper in the = surface and it would also depend on whether or not they would even = survive the impact. A3: No weather but electrostatic forces induced by soalr winds may = casue dust to migrate. Seems like I recall some astronauts talking = aboutt particles hovering above the ground The dust cloud generated by = an impact settles back over the impact hole so there tends to be a = blanket of dust on everything. It is cumulative over time. When visiting = one of the Surveyor Landers, Apollo Astronauts found very little dust = accumulated after 6-8 years, suggesting that the blanket accumulates = over eons instead of decades. Lunar gravity may be weaker but it still = causes the dust to settle. Moon quakes and impact quakes apparently jar = unstable slopes and reduce/flatten crater rims as loose powder creeps = downhill . Apollo 16 coring experiments found that the = dust/regolyth/soil level exceded 16ft( I think, the maximum length of a = core drill with them) The top 2-6 inches were less compacted than = further down. Talking to Charlie Duke Jr., Apollo 16 astronaut, and he = said they found trails where rocks and or meteorites had rolled and = bounced along the surface . I think he said they didn't see any at the = end of their trails. I believe he also said that they didn't find any = meteorites on that trip. So at least for the bulk of the ride around = the rift, meteorites aren't obliviously lying around the surface. =20 Q4: last but not least he asked since the moon is smaller than = earth would the density/number of meteorites on the moon be less than = that of the earth? My answer was I would ask the experts on this list. = (I took the easy way out on that one!) I told him that without an = atmosphere to burn up any potential meteors that might hit the moon = though it was smaller more would make it to the surface than on earth, = but that without that same atmosphere to slow them down, many more would = probably not survive the impact and would end up pulverized to dust by = the impact. A4: The fact that the Moon shields Earth from meteorites and that = Meteoroids burn up 99% of the time,=20 I would say there is more unaltered meteoritic material on the moon = I agree with you answer Mark!=20 A bright mind Chris has...you've mentored him well! Regards, Elton ------=_NextPart_000_0035_01C24E8A.F120B0A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.3314.2100" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Elton,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>He understood your answers perfectly. = He was=20 thrilled by everyones answers and it has only fueled his desire to learn = more!=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>A heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone = that took=20 time to answer his questions. It is hard these days to find wholesome = things to=20 interest a child, I am lucky that my son enjoys learning, the outdoors,=20 meteorites and most of all ME!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Thanks again to everyone!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Mark and Christopher = Miconi</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A href=3D"mailto:jonee_at_epix.net" title=3Djonee@epix.net>EL Jones</A> = </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href=3D"mailto:mam602_at_cox.net"=20 title=3Dmam602_at_cox.net>Mark Miconi</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A=20 href=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com"=20 = title=3Dmeteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>meteorite-list@meteoritecentr= al.com</A>=20 </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, August 26, 2002 = 2:39=20 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [meteorite-list] = Question=20 about Meteorites on the Moon</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE>Ok Mark and Christopher I'll take a stab I don't know how=20 untechnical I can be.<BR><BR> <DIV>Q1:First he wanted to know if a meteor hits the moon is it = technically=20 a meteorite or are only meteors that hit the earth called a = meteorite? My=20 answer was that once a meteoroid hits a terrestrial body it is = technically a=20 meteorite.</DIV><BR>A1: Technically under the old distinction a = "meteor"=20 can't occur on the moon as a meteor is the flash of light in the = atmosphere.=20 IMHO it is a definition that needs updating. I believe when a=20 meteoroid lands on the moon it is a meteorite. In mineral = nomenclature the=20 Body e.g. Meteor, Impact, Anthra, is the origin and the suffix = -ite..means=20 the physical rock/mineral object from the source. Hence = Meteorite,=20 Impactite, and so on. The term "regolyth" is the near = equivalent to=20 the term"soil" and is dervied from the pounding of the moon by=20 meteorites/asteroids. The regolyth is also enriched by material from = the=20 solar wind and contains more than just meteorites and moon = rock.<BR><BR> <DIV>Q2: Second he wanted to know what if any changes would occur to = a=20 meteorite once it is on the moon? He is very smart and understands = that=20 weathering and a general erosion begins once a meteorite hits the = earth due=20 to the actions of our atmosphere, wind and rain. He was = wondering if it=20 were common place to go to the moon easily and find meteorites if = they=20 would be pristine or would solar winds, and other impacts by = space=20 dust, micro meteorites and the such erode them? And if the swings in = temperature extremes that can occur on the moon effect them in any = way. My=20 answer was that they would probably change a bit over time, but the = amount=20 of time that would be needed to cause any changes would be = exponentially=20 greater than that of earth.<BR><BR>A2: Yes, Yes, and Yes. = Chemical=20 recycling and weathering on the moon is much different and would be = limited=20 to contact of finely pulverized powders and scant gasses liberated = by past=20 volcanos/heating/, gasses,(i.e. sulfites, ammonia, O2, CO , and etc) = liberatedfrom meteorites etc. It just isn't a player in the = alteration=20 of a meteorite. Appearance-wise there is no fusion crust -- but = there may=20 mainly only be meteorite "powder". There is a strong = possibility that=20 only the very largest meteorites exist in that collision forces = converts the=20 bulk of the meteorites into dust and molten dropplets. Meteorite = nodules=20 /shards are likely below the surface unless reexcavated by a = subsequent=20 impact. The dust layer on the moon is the 99.99%result of = impacts.See Bill=20 Arnet's site on the Moon <A class=3Dmoz-txt-link-rfc2396E=20 = href=3D"http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html">&l= t;http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html></A>=20 and Nasa's Apollo Discovery Page <A class=3Dmoz-txt-link-rfc2396E=20 = href=3D"http://www.nasm.edu/apollo/apollotop10.htm"><http://www.nasm.e= du/apollo/apollotop10.htm></A><BR><BR>Moon=20 Dust is composed of angular grains of various sizes and melted glass = beads.=20 The dust appears to contain grains of both moon rock and = meteorites=20 alike. There are several websites which have photos and descriptions = of moon=20 dust. Both the Americans and Russians brought back dust samples. = Solar wind=20 and Cosmic rays change the nature of the minerals on the surface. By = in=20 large lunar soil is well mixed, churned, and not unlike howardites.=20 <BR><BR>The heating cooling cycle on the moon is less destructive = due to the=20 lack of water/ice. There is virtually "no heat/cool cycle" = transport=20 down slope such as seen by freeze/ thaw on Earth. be it remembered = also that=20 lunar rotation is 28=B1 days so the heat/cool (expansion/retraction) = cycle is=20 far more gradual than on earth..<BR><BR>Q3: The third question = he=20 asked was since there is virtually no weather on the moon to = stir up=20 dust and bury them meteorites would it be harder to find meteorites = on the=20 moon? My answer was that since there is no atmosphere to slow their = descent=20 that the impact speed would probably determine whether the = meteorites would=20 end up buried deeper in the surface and it would also depend on = whether or=20 not they would even survive the impact.<BR><BR>A3: No weather = but=20 electrostatic forces induced by soalr winds may casue dust to = migrate.=20 Seems like I recall some astronauts talking aboutt particles = hovering above=20 the ground The dust cloud generated by an impact settles back over = the=20 impact hole so there tends to be a blanket of dust on everything. It = is=20 cumulative over time. When visiting one of the Surveyor Landers, = Apollo=20 Astronauts found very little dust accumulated after 6-8 years, = suggesting=20 that the blanket accumulates over eons instead of decades. Lunar = gravity may=20 be weaker but it still causes the dust to settle. Moon quakes = and=20 impact quakes apparently jar unstable slopes and reduce/flatten = crater rims=20 as loose powder creeps downhill . Apollo 16 coring experiments = found=20 that the dust/regolyth/soil level exceded 16ft( I think, the maximum = length=20 of a core drill with them) The top 2-6 inches were less compacted = than=20 further down. Talking to Charlie Duke Jr., Apollo 16 astronaut, and = he said=20 they found trails where rocks and or meteorites had rolled and = bounced along=20 the surface . I think he said they didn't see any at the end = of their=20 trails. I believe he also said that they didn't find any = meteorites on=20 that trip. So at least for the bulk of the ride around the = rift,=20 meteorites aren't obliviously lying around the=20 surface.<BR> <BR>Q4: last but not least he asked since = the moon=20 is smaller than earth would the density/number of meteorites on the = moon be=20 less than that of the earth? My answer was I would ask the = experts on=20 this list. (I took the easy way out on that one!) I told him that = without an=20 atmosphere to burn up any potential meteors that might hit the moon = though=20 it was smaller more would make it to the surface than on earth, but = that=20 without that same atmosphere to slow them down, many more would = probably not=20 survive the impact and would end up pulverized to dust by the=20 impact.<BR><BR>A4: The fact that the Moon shields Earth from = meteorites and=20 that Meteoroids burn up 99% of the time, <BR>I would say there is = more=20 unaltered meteoritic material on the moon I agree with you = answer=20 Mark! <BR> A bright mind Chris has...you've mentored him=20 = well!<BR><BR>Regards,<BR>Elton<BR></DIV><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE>= </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0035_01C24E8A.F120B0A0-- Received on Wed 28 Aug 2002 03:03:37 PM PDT |
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