[meteorite-list] NP Article, 10-1941 Meteorites of Nevada
From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:27 2004 Message-ID: <BAY4-DAV38BfTPQWKtU000038e1_at_hotmail.com> ------=_NextPart_001_0045_01C3918D.63965A40 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_0045_01C3918D.63965A40 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></B> <P>Astronomers = Interested in Meteors Which Blazed Across Sky of Nevada</P> <P></P> <P>Th= ree blazing meteors which streaked across the Black Rock desert of the no= rthwestern Nevada last summer have aroused the interest of Nevada amateur= astronomers. All were unusually large; all passed in the same direction.= </P> <P>If traces of them can be found, an addition will be made to the s= mall number of recorded meteorites found in the state, it was explained b= y Dr. Vincent P. Gianelle, professor of geology at the University of Neva= da, at a recent meeting of the Astronomical Society of Nevada on the U. o= f N. campus.</P> <P>In the 125 years that meteorite falls have been recor= ded throughout the world, only three have been found in Nevada.</P> <P>La= rgest is the Quinn river meteorite, which was found in 1908. Weighing 316= 0 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 prospector named Ja= ck Waldrous. He presented his find to the Mackay School of Mines of the U= niversity of Nevada where it is now on display.</P> <P>Nevada's third met= eorite, 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 othe= r reported Nevada "meteorites" have been proven to be ordinary terrestria= l materials, such as lumps of slag from old and forgotten smelters, said = Professor Gianella.</P> <P>The difference between a meteor and a meteorit= e was explained by John L. Carison, a Reno High School instructor and Uni= versity of Nevada graduate, who also spoke at the meeting.</P> <P>A meteo= r is the commonly known "shooting star" and it becomes a meteorite only i= f it actually strikes the earth, he pointed out.</P> <P>With the estimate= d one million meteors bombarding the earth's atmospheric blanket 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 b= efore they reach the ground because of the intense friction caused by the= ir rush through the air. In other words, few meteors become meteorites.</= P> <P>Since meteorite recording began, there have been only 499 known fal= ls in the United States and only 1392 in the entire world.</P> <P>Undoubt= edly 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."</P></FONT><BR><BR>Please= visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive of meteor and m= eteorite articles.</DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_001_0045_01C3918D.63965A40-- Received on Mon 13 Oct 2003 02:24:54 PM PDT |
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