[meteorite-list] Re-2: Cali meteorite fall trajectory and offset ofdamage.

From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: 29 Jul 2007 18:27:26 UT
Message-ID: <DIIE.000000A900001C57_at_paulinet.de>

Chris wrote:

The material evidence of the fall does suggest that the components still
carried some of their original velocity, but I can't see any mechanism by
which such small stones could retain that over 30 km of low altitude travel.

Mike wrote:

>From all accounts, the body entering the atmosphere must have been
very large indeed to cause explosions loud enough to shatter windows.

Let's now combine both comments, which could mean that the Cali meteoroid:

1. still carried some of its original (cosmic) velocity
2. must have been very large, in other words,
3. the meteoroid's mass may have stayed intact down to a very low altitude
4. *exploded*, in the literal sense of the word, at a very low altitude
5. did not fall in free flight but was accelerated by its explosive energy

.. and finally, that the Cali meteorite:

6. should be the very opposite of a friable meteorite: very solid, very coherent


Best wishes,

Bernd
Received on Sun 29 Jul 2007 02:27:26 PM PDT