[meteorite-list] More Meteorite Geography Trivia

From: Zelimir Gabelica <Zelimir.Gabelica_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:49:14 +0100
Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.2.20081213193800.02adde60_at_pop.univ-mulhouse.fr>

I fully agree.

Now a pure statistic evaluation tells you that if you are waiting in your
front yard having a surface of 1 squere km, for a meteorite of 1 kg to
fall, you'll have to wait (on the average) for...10 million years! (if my
memory is right, I hesitate between 10 and 100 milloin but the message is
the same).

A funny related joke we use to tell our visitors in Ensisheim show:
"If you are affraid a meteorite would fell on you, just don't worry! A
bolid of about 125 kg fell right here 516 years ago, so you are
statistically speaking, totally safe!"

I know Sterling will contradict me and I will agree!
A typical counter-example is the Weathersfield meteorite that fell in CT on
almost the same place in 1971 and in 1982.
Both were L6!...

Keep smiling,

Zelimir



A 12:11 13/12/2008 -0600, Sterling K. Webb a ?crit :
>Hi, List,
>
>Michael wrote:
> > What are the chances of a meteorite landing on
> > a relatively-small island in the middle of a sea?
>
>Well, the answer is that the chances of a meteorite landing
>anywhere are exactly the same as of it landing anywhere else.
>The "landing" of a meteorite is as purely random an event as
>any natural event can be. There is no causal connection
>between the path of the meteoroid and the geography of
>the Earth or indeed, anything about the Earth except that
>it got in the way of the meteoroid.
>
>If you were standing idly about in your front yard and a
>meteorite whizzed down and landed in front of your feet,
>you would jump and scream, "OMG! What are the odds
>of that?!" But the odds of that meteorite landing on the
>square meter you were standing on is unaffected by the fact
>that you were standing there. Likewise, any square meter
>you stand on, anywhere, is as likely to have a meteorite
>land on it as any other, whether that square meter of Earth
>is land or sea, for example. (Since nearly 70% of the Earth
>is water, 70% of all meteorites land there.)
>
>So, when you go out into your front yard tonight to wait for
>that meteorite to land at your feet, you can stand anywhere
>in the yard you want to! (Or sit in a yard chair, if you want;
>that doesn't affect the odds either.) Don't laugh! The meteorite
>that lands -- Plop! -- at someone's feet in the front yard has
>actually happened, and in relatively recent times. Check out
>the NOBLESVILLE (Indiana) fall.
>
>
>Sterling K. Webb
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Michael Gilmer" <michael_w_gilmer at yahoo.com>
>To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2008 10:08 AM
>Subject: [meteorite-list] More Meteorite Geography Trivia
>
>
>Some more meteorite-geography trivia :
>
>1) Jamaica has one known meteorite, Lucky Hill, an iron IIIAB. What are the
>chances of a meteorite landing on a relatively-small island in the middle of
>a sea? This meteorite could have easily ended up on the bottom of the
>Caribbean, but instead it gets to spend it's days in a tropical beach
>paradise. (I hope it's stored with some dessicant!)
>
>2) Iran has only 2 known meteorites - both of them witnessed falls! Naragh
>is an H6 hammer stone that penetrated the roof of a school on August 18,
>1974. No casualties were reported. The other fall is Veramin, a
>mesosiderite, which fell around April 18, 1880. Veramin has been kept in
>Tehran's Golestan Palace since then.
>
>3) Ireland has 6 recorded meteorites - all of them witnessed falls. (The
>Tanzanians have competition!) All of Ireland's meteorites have been OC's and
>one remains unclassified - Pettiswood.
>
>4) Not to be left out, Northern Ireland (statisically seperatre from Ireland
>proper) has 2 known meteorites, both OC witnessed falls.
>
>5) The United States has over 1519 approved meteorites!
>
>This US tally includes :
>
>2 acapulcoites
>5 aubrites
>22 carbonaceous chondrites
>2 diogenites
>4 EL chondrites
>11 eucrites
>more OC's than you can shake a magnetic cane at
>4 howardites
>a boatload of irons
>2 Martian meteorites (LA001/002 & Lafayette)
>8 mesosiderites
>18 pallasites
>1 rumuruti chondrite
>2 ureilites
>2 winonaites
>
>:)
>
>.........................................................
>Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
>Member of the Meteoritical Society.
>Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
>Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
>MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/fine_meteorites_4_sale
>..........................................................
>
>
>
>
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Prof. Zelimir Gabelica
Universit? de Haute Alsace
ENSCMu, Lab. GSEC,
3, Rue A. Werner,
F-68093 Mulhouse Cedex, France
Tel: +33 (0)3 89 33 68 94
Fax: +33 (0)3 89 33 68 15
Received on Sat 13 Dec 2008 01:49:14 PM PST