[meteorite-list] Question -Sri Lankan density

From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Dec 6 01:04:26 2004
Message-ID: <16F66AF8.34E438B9.0BFED528_at_aol.com>

Hola Rob,

See my comments inside your text,

Rob Matson wrote:

>about the supposed iron fall in Sri Lanka:

D-Iron meteorite vs. stone meteorite might be a distinction we give too much classification system bias too. Iron, might just mean it contains iron is the major finding here.

>"The object weighing 47.015 kg with a 4.75 specific
> gravity was fallen..."

>Either the specific gravity is wrong (or in
>unfamiliar units), or the mass is wrong, or

D-Yes, I see why you are suspicious. But, No, the specific gravity has NO units to be right or wrong about. It is a dimensionless ratio.

>the object isn't an iron meteorite. I suppose
>it could still be another type of meteorite
>(meso or pallasite?)

I doubt this especially suggests pallasite though all possibility is wide open. Even an incredible half volume % peridotted pallasite would have a density over 5.5...If you have ever tried to measure odd shaped big rocks' density like me not too long ago without a good method you know that it can be surprisingly hard,unless you are a crackerjack at Euclidean 3D geometry or dunk it in a graduated bucket of water. The 4.75 sounds like it could also be a newspaper decimalization of 4 3/4 to me, not to two significant decimals. So maybe it is a piece of hematitized something, but at least it is way above a density of three...a heavy rock or "iron"

Anyway...we'll find out soon enough:)
Saludos, Doug
Received on Mon 06 Dec 2004 01:03:53 AM PST