[meteorite-list] Meteorite that dissolves in water?

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Jul 17 20:31:00 2005
Message-ID: <c8uld1ppp9ran8qkeunt3tf0ms5pivq87d_at_4ax.com>

Okay, all meteorites are subject to weathering away to greater or lesser degrees, of course. But
what about the idea of "a type of meteorite that dissolves in water and with the following rain
there may be nothing to find,"?


http://news.mcmedia.com.au/story.asp?TakeNo=200507185368199

Murchison's meteorite theory gains momentum

By Darren Linton

July 18 2005
Shepparton News


Murchison's meteorite mystery is a step closer to being unravelled, with two people confirming they
saw a dazzling display in the night sky which is consistent with a meteorite shower.
Like many other Murchison residents, Sandy Matthes, who runs a backpackers' hostel in Stevenson St,
heard a loud bang at 9.15 pm on July 10.

"I heard a boom and then saw a flash and the stones falling like stars - they were glowing red like
they were on fire," Mrs Matthes said.

An English backpacker returning to the hostel joined Mrs Matthes in the street to watch the
spectacular light show, but he left town two days ago without revealing his part in the Murchison
meteorite mystery.

"It was like hundreds of little stars falling down, it was a very good experience for me, it was
amazing," Mrs Matthes said.

"I was so lucky to be outside."

Antique store owner Betty Maslin said another resident told her he was out getting firewood and also
saw the flashes in the night sky.

"There is no doubt now that we have been struck again," Mrs Maslin said.

A meteorite famously hit the town in September 1969.

The largest piece of the carbonaceous chondrite weighed 7 kg and contained numerous amino acids and
a variety of other organic compounds that are thought to have played a role in the origin of life.

Comet enthusiast David Seargent, who wrote two books on the original Murchison meteorite, said the
latest mystery was intriguing.

"There are some things about the reports that point to another meteorite and other parts of the
story that don't quite fit," he said from his home on the NSW central coast.

Mr Seargent said witness accounts of objects glowing red like fire could have been a meteorite.

"The other possibility is space junk, which can often produce a fireball," he said.

Despite numerous reports of fragments hitting houses in Murchison, no pieces of rock have been found
to date and Mr Seargent said solid evidence might not exist.

"There is a type of meteorite that dissolves in water and with the following rain there may be
nothing to find," he said.

One troubling aspect of the meteorite theory is that the reports are only coming from a small area
of Murchison.

"Such an event would have been visible across a wide area of Victoria," Mr Seargent said.

"If it was only seen in Murchison it does not fit with a meteorite landing or space junk falling to
earth."

If you heard or saw anything, phone The News on 5820 3221.
Received on Sun 17 Jul 2005 08:36:49 PM PDT