[meteorite-list] a serious meteorite question!

From: Bob King <lakewind_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:17:45 2004
Message-ID: <3FD8FE18.4972.DC64A3_at_localhost>

Hi Tom,
The idea that there was a planet there once upon a time has pretty
much gone by the wayside. According to what I've read the reason
there is no planet between Mars and Jupiter is because Jupiter's
enormous gravity stirred up that zone to such a degree that a planet
could never come together from the small pieces (asteroids) that were
there. Even today Jupiter continues to wreak havoc with asteroids that
fall into particular areas of the region that are in a simple resonance
with Jupiter's orbital period. When that happens the asteroid's period
can be changed so that it either drops in closer to the inner planets or is
ejected altogether from the solar system.
Our many different irons come from a large variety of parent bodies or
asteroids. Matter of fact there are more iron parent bodies believed to
be represented in meteorite collections than chondrites.
Hope this helps.
Bob



> Hello List,
> My daughter and I were discussing iron meteorites, and she came up with
> a question that I couldn't answer, and I was hoping one of you could.
> Some people think that there was a large planet between Jupiter and
> Saturn and it was destroyed by a cataclysmic catastrophe of biblical
> proportions which resulted in the asteroid belt where most of our meteorites
> are believed to come from. Does this sound right so far?
> Iron meteorites are believed to be from the core of a planet such as the
> one that was destroyed by the cataclysmic catastrophe.
> Is it thought that some of our iron meteorites come from the asteroid
> belt? If so, it would seem like different iron falls would match beings
> they came from the same iron core?
> Has any two irons from separate falls been matched? It would seem like
> more than one iron meteoroid would have came from the asteroid belt and end
> up an iron meteorite. Am I missing something?
>
> Thanks, Tom
> Peregrineflier <><
Received on Fri 12 Dec 2003 12:30:32 AM PST