[meteorite-list] NPA 10-1941 Meteors Blaze Across Nevada
From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:02 2004 Message-ID: <BAY4-DAV149cMzfoV1q00000095_at_hotmail.com> ------=_NextPart_001_000D_01C3C7AE.0D173ED0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Title: Reno Evening Gazette =20 City: Reno, Nevada =20 Date: Monday, October 06, 1941 =20 Page: 8 Astronomers Interested in Meteors Which Blazed Across Sky of Nevada Three blazing meteors which streaked across the Black Rock desert of the = northwestern Nevada last summer have aroused the interest of Nevada amate= ur astronomers. All were unusually large; all passed in the same directio= n. If traces of them can be found, an addition will be made to the small num= ber of recorded meteorites found in the state, it was explained by Dr. Vi= ncent P. Gianelle, professor of geology at the University of Nevada, at a= recent meeting of the Astronomical Society of Nevada on the U. of N. cam= pus. In the 125 years that meteorite falls have been recorded throughout the w= orld, only three have been found in Nevada. Largest is the Quinn river meteorite, which was found in 1908. Weighing 3= 160 pounds, this strange mass of iron and other heavy metals is now in th= e Chicago Field Museum. In 1938 a meteorite, weighing over 10 pounds was found in the Quartz Moun= tains of Nye county by a prospector named Jack Waldrous. He presented his= find to the Mackay School of Mines of the University of Nevada where it = is now on display. Nevada's third meteorite, a 50-pound chunk, was found near Las Vegas in 1= 940. It was given to the United States National Museum in Washington, D.C= Many other reported Nevada "meteorites" have been proven to be ordinary t= errestrial materials, such as lumps of slag from old and forgotten smelte= rs, said Professor Gianella. The difference between a meteor and a meteorite was explained by John L. = Carison, a Reno High School instructor and University of Nevada graduate,= who also spoke at the meeting. A meteor is the commonly known "shooting star" and it becomes a meteorite= only if it actually strikes the earth, he pointed out. With the estimated one million meteors bombarding the earth's atmospheric= blanket every 24 hours, people often wonder why more death and destructi= on is not caused by them. The answer, said Carlson, is that all but a few burn up before they reach= the ground because of the intense friction caused by their rush through = the air. In other words, few meteors become meteorites. Since meteorite recording began, there have been only 499 known falls in = the United States and only 1392 in the entire world. Undoubtedly many more than the three known meteorites have fallen in the = state, said Dr. Gianella, but unless they are actually seen to strike the= ground it is exceedingly difficult to locate them, especially in Nevada,= where "one rock makes more or less little difference." Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive of meteor= and meteorite articles. ------=_NextPart_001_000D_01C3C7AE.0D173ED0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV><B><FONT size=3D= 2> <P>Title: Reno Evening Gazette </P> <P>City: Reno, Nevada </P> <P>Date= : Monday, October 06, 1941</B> </P><B> <P>Page: 8</P> <P> </P></B> <= P>Astronomers Interested in Meteors Which Blazed Across Sky of Nevada</P>= <P></P> <P>Three blazing meteors which streaked across the Black Rock de= sert of the northwestern Nevada last summer have aroused the interest of = Nevada amateur astronomers. All were unusually large; all passed in the s= ame direction.</P> <P>If traces of them can be found, an addition will be= made to the small number of recorded meteorites found in the state, it w= as explained by Dr. Vincent P. Gianelle, professor of geology at the Univ= ersity of Nevada, at a recent meeting of the Astronomical Society of Neva= da on the U. of N. campus.</P> <P>In the 125 years that meteorite falls h= ave been recorded throughout the world, only three have been found in Nev= ada.</P> <P>Largest is the Quinn river meteorite, which was found in 1908= Weighing 3160 pounds, this strange mass of iron and other heavy metals = is now in the Chicago Field Museum.</P> <P>In 1938 a meteorite, weighing = over 10 pounds was found in the Quartz Mountains of Nye county by a prosp= ector named Jack Waldrous. He presented his find to the Mackay School of = Mines of the University of Nevada where it is now on display.</P> <P>Neva= da's third meteorite, a 50-pound chunk, was found near Las Vegas in 1940.= It was given to the United States National Museum in Washington, D.C.</P= > <P>Many other reported Nevada "meteorites" have been proven to be ordin= ary terrestrial materials, such as lumps of slag from old and forgotten s= melters, said Professor Gianella.</P> <P>The difference between a meteor = and a meteorite was explained by John L. Carison, a Reno High School inst= ructor and University of Nevada graduate, who also spoke at the meeting.<= /P> <P>A meteor is the commonly known "shooting star" and it becomes a me= teorite only if it actually strikes the earth, he pointed out.</P> <P>Wit= h the estimated one million meteors bombarding the earth's atmospheric bl= anket every 24 hours, people often wonder why more death and destruction = is not caused by them.</P> <P>The answer, said Carlson, is that all but a= few burn up before they reach the ground because of the intense friction= caused by their rush through the air. In other words, few meteors become= meteorites.</P> <P>Since meteorite recording began, there have been only= 499 known falls in the United States and only 1392 in the entire world.<= /P> <P>Undoubtedly many more than the three known meteorites have fallen = in the state, said Dr. Gianella, but unless they are actually seen to str= ike the ground it is exceedingly difficult to locate them, especially in = Nevada, where "one rock makes more or less little difference."</P></FONT>= <BR><BR>Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive o= f meteor and meteorite articles.</DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_001_000D_01C3C7AE.0D173ED0-- Received on Sun 21 Dec 2003 11:34:45 AM PST |
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