[meteorite-list] Carancas vs. Canyon Diablo?

From: Rob Matson <mojave_meteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:52:02 -0700
Message-ID: <GOEDJOCBMMEHLEFDHGMMKEDGDGAA.mojave_meteorites_at_cox.net>

Hi Sterling,

I am little perplexed why you persist in comparing the Peru
event to Meteor[ite] Crater, when the two events share very
little in common other than an extraterrestrial origin. The
energies involved are many orders of magnitude apart; without
pulling out a hand calculator I would guess that Park Forest
was a closer match to Carancas than Canyon Diablo.

For me, there is nothing about the dimensions of the impact
pit (I refuse to call it a crater) that precludes a significant
mass of meteoritic material buried within. Yes, this mass is
likely in many pieces, but I don't see how the collective can
avoid weighing less than a metric ton.

You seem to believe that hitting the ground was somehow more
stressful to this meteoroid than hitting the upper atmosphere.
If so, that would be a first.

Best wishes,
Rob
Received on Wed 17 Oct 2007 02:52:02 AM PDT