[meteorite-list] Meteorites smell good ...mmm

From: Bob King <lakewind_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Jan 20 00:34:26 2006
Message-ID: <43D021F8.13798.12F492E_at_localhost>

Hello all,
A lot of us like to bring meteorites to classes we occasionally visit with
or teach. I had this opportunity earlier this week and just for fun brought
a sheet of 220 grit sandpaper and a slice of NWA 869 for the kids to do
a scratch and sniff. I asked them to grind away a little bit on the
sandpaper and then take a whiff of meteorite. Most of them compared
the odor to sulfur or matches. One 6th grader was pretty excited: "It
smells like matches. I like the smell of matches." I explained that
sometimes freshly fallen meteorites have a sulfurous smell.
Though I wasn't positively certain, I'm assuming the odor is from the
sulfur in troilite?
Anyway, it was fun to do some "hands on" with the asteroid bits.
Happy sniffing!
Bob
Received on Fri 20 Jan 2006 12:34:16 AM PST