[meteorite-list] Couple Find Possible Meteorite in Their Yard in California?

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:38:58 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <200712312238.OAA24951_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/green_4266___article.html/meteorite_piece.html

Piece of the heavens
Couple find possible meteorite in their yard
By PATRICK THATCHER
Victorville Daily Press
December 31, 2007

It's not everyday that a little piece of the heavens drops right into
your front yard, just inches from your front door.

That's what Kay and Rick Green of Hesperia believe happened to them.

"We are pretty sure it is a meteorite," Green said. "I've seen them at
gun shows and this looks like those. We had been walking right past it
for a couple of days before we even noticed it sticking just a little
bit above the ground."

Green had recently filled in a hole at the location where the supposed
meteorite had landed and, although he noticed something just barely
peeking above the ground, he and his wife didn't think anything of it at
first.

Then he decided to dig it up.

"I thought it was a tiny piece. I was surprised to see how big it was."

What he dug up was a solid piece of material about the size of a head of
cabbage, bearing the characteristics of a meteorite. Green put it on a
scale, and it weighed a little more than 5 pounds.

Without using expert analysis but referring to Web sites that are used
for meteorite identification, Green determined that the object that
landed in his yard has a number of meteorite characteristics, most
notably a strong magnetic pull. Other characteristics are its heavy
weight for its size, its coloring and contours.
Received on Mon 31 Dec 2007 05:38:58 PM PST