[meteorite-list] China's Antarctic Expedition Team Finds First Meteorite at Glove Mountain

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:17:25 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <200912312317.nBVNHPZn014201_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/31/content_12733922.htm

China's Antarctic expedition team finds first meteorite at Glove Mountain
www.chinaview.cn

    GLOVE MOUNTAIN, Antarctica, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's 26th
Antarctic expedition team discovered its first meteorite at Antarctica's
Glove Mountain Wednesday afternoon.

    The team found the meteorite at the southern foot of Glove
Mountain's peak, said Dr. Hu Sen, a researcher at the Institute of
Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

    "It is highly probable (that it is) a Chondrite judging from the
failure surface," said Hu, adding that the meteorite weighed 221.5 grams.

    Efflorescence makes it hard for meteorites to stay in densely
populated areas, Hu explained, but they could last for millions of years
in Antarctica's dry, cold weather.

    Many of such meteorites were stopped by the mountains as they were
carried along by running glaciers, he said. Therefore, a lot of
meteorites could be found around the Antarctic mountain areas.

    The Glove Mountain area, 400 km from China's Zhongshan Station, has
proved to be one of the world's richest meteorite reserves. China has so
far discovered 9,834 meteorites, including two Martian and several other
special types of meteorites -- the third largest meteorite collection
after Japan and the United States.
Received on Thu 31 Dec 2009 06:17:25 PM PST