[meteorite-list] chondrule size range?

From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue May 24 03:30:39 2005
Message-ID: <12a.5df00f78.2fc43213_at_aol.com>

Tom K wrote:

>I have seen pics of other meteorites with one large
>chondrule, but never heard an explanation of why.

Hola Tom, I read your question before going to dinner. It was supposed to
be a celebration of the first day I have permission to go out since a little
surgery I had last week. My date was not very pleased with the outcome.
 
When I got there there was this salt shaker on the table. It has one really
monster salt grain in it. My lips baffled my brain as curiosity gushed out
of my ears like hot plasma. Le grit? al mesero, "MESERO!" Hay un grand?simo
grano de sal en este salero tan chiquillo. Y como pensaba que ?l era
experto en esos asuntos, y yo, andaba tan mortificado, le suplicaba que me diera
respuesta a qu? se deb?a ese enorme grano de sal all? en mi triste salero.
Todo un caballero, me inspir? mucha confianza al decirme, "S?, se?or, no me
tardo ni un instante." Y se desvaneci?. Estaba por reventar mi pobre coraz?n,
pero enseguida se presentaba el joven mesero con una tremenda Margarita. Solo
me dijo, y con mucho respeto, ?? Primero qu?tale la tapita del salero, luego
s?cate el enorme granito, y te la echas y te la tomas todita !!

Now if that is not a more satisfying answer, I don't know what is. But you
might also check out these great little papers !! Both a easy to download
and you can find them with Google!!

They suggest scatter plotting size distributions in ?Phi? units !! just to
brush up on pre-algebra!!

For example,
Phi = -log(D),
where D is precursor grain diameter in mm.
v=shock velocity of solar gas (by a shock wave formation model)
n=primitive gas number density (/cc)
log is base 2
cc=cubic centimeter

You can see it is an open statistical question as to why-why-why one
chondrule can be big-bigger-biggerer. Was it do to shock wave formation,
collisions, and sorting before during or after the chondrules formed? Can we return to
a simple world when all we need to worry about is one grain of salt? And
they like playing with the Weibull distribution type which fixes minimum
chondrule size, 10%-20% of the mean size (0.04 -0.15 mm), (thus mean size is about
0.40 mm to 0.75 mm), but imposing no maximum size except for a lot of
handwaving that reduces to ?we weren?t there to see the variety of conditions so
your guess is as good as mine and we are just trying to masaje the data to fit
tose half centimeter or larger chondrules that you hapeen to see." By the
way, the size of the meteoritic fragment in relation to chondrule size would
generally not be expected to be related...any more than...well use you
imagination and figure some of this stuff out for yourself for once, just for fun...

DUSTSIZE DISTRIBUTION IN SOLAR NEBULA INFERRED FROM SHOCK&shy;WAVE HEATING
MODEL FOR CHONDRULE FORMATION.
H. Miura et. al.
Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV (2004)

CHONDRULE SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS
P. H. Benoit et al.
Lunar and Planetary Science XXX (1999)
 
Received on Tue 24 May 2005 03:30:27 AM PDT