[meteorite-list] K-T fossil meteorite picture

From: Jeff Grossman <jgrossman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 16:36:51 -0400
Message-ID: <4A15BB63.9000807_at_usgs.gov>

The issue with the Kyte object is that no primary meteoritic minerals or
textures survive. There is just chemical evidence. I know that Frank is
sure that this was once a meteorite, but the lack of anything primary
means that it will be a very difficult sell to the NomCom as a fossil
meteorite. In any case, I don't think Frank has pressed very hard to
make the sale... I don't think the nomcom has ever voted on it.

jeff

Mexicodoug wrote:
>
> Dear Bernd, List,
>
> Thanks for the interesting post on this curious case.
>
> So everyone can enjoy this 0.25cm "fossil" "meteorite" which Kyte
> classified as a "CV, CO, or CR carbonaceous chondrite", here is an
> original image in color:
> http://tinyurl.com/qf8u9w
>
> The "meteorite" is also described as an unclassified hematite and clay
> fragment from the core sample DSDP Hole 576 in the western North
> Pacific (32? 21.4'N, 164? 16.5'E), 1000 miles WNW of Green Island of
> the Hawaiian Islands and 1400 miles ESE of Tokyo).
>
> The "meteorite" is not yet an official meteorite, relict or not (if it
> is certain it is a meteorite - unknown to me why not :-)). Kyte's
> office at UCLA has been between his colleagues Wasson and Rubin's and
> he was a co-author with them though the publications appear all prior
> to the "meteorite", so the answer to why not is probably easy to get.
>
> The extremely high gold concentration in it (which at one point I
> believe it was Koeberl said likely disqualified it as a "meteorite")
> has not been explained other than by speculation:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/qn3ssc
>
> Kyte has classified the only meteorite from the Pacific Ocean, a 2.4
> million year old mesosiderite officially named Eltanin, found 5km
> below sea level in other core samples, which he interprets to be part
> of the largest meteorite fall dropped, ever recovered on Earth. (TKW
> 1.2 Kg mostly in sub centimeter sized weathered fragments).
>
>
>
> Here are some very nice thin sections of the alleged relict meteorite
> from another picture in that original Nature Letter for list members'
> perusal:
> http://tinyurl.com/q4r89e
>
> Source: Letters to Nature, Frank T. Kyte sent this in originally on 2
> June 1998:
> Kyte, F.T., Nature, "A meteorite from the Cretaceous/Tertiary
> boundary", 19 November 1998, V. 396, pp. 237-239.
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v396/n6708/full/396237a0.html
>
> From what I can gather, most scientists have called the K-T boundary
> fragment "meteorite" Kyte's interpretation. It should be noted that
> Kyte was co-author on several papers with Jan Smit and the two were
> close colleagues during the magical period of the early 1980's after
> Luis Alvarez did the then eye-opening K-T boundary work wit his son
> and collaborators. While the Alvarez' didn't particularly care much
> for the search for the crater, one collaborator, Jan Smit believes he
> was instrumental in the discovery of the Chicxulub crater and
> vindication of Alvarez' Dino extinction theory and fervently defends
> the work. Smit doesn't acknowledge challenger Princeton's Gerta
> Keller's group's interpretations which would suggest anything
> different on the grounds of Occam's Razor, in that a single impact
> explains everything and any mess is because there was turbulence
> afterwards shaking up everything, something that Keller doesn't buy as
> an argument stopper. Keller believes the extinction event is likely
> more complex, and has ap
> plied her version of chronostratigraphical study in great detail to
> the layers, and supports the possibility of multiple impacts and other
> terrestrial explanations. The latter two have become rivals and both
> (especially Smit) display emotional disdain for the other's work. They
> are both good scientists. What this "meteorite" fragment proves is
> questionable in relation to the debate. Kyte also classifies a 3.8
> billion year old impact on earth as a CV by looking at the chromium
> content of ancient sediments.
>
> Best wishes,
> Doug
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de
> To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Sent: Thu, 21 May 2009 6:23 am
> Subject: [meteorite-list] K-T fossil meteorite picture
>
>
>
> Hello Sterling, List, and KT-Extinctionists,
>
> "It's a "fossilized" meteorite, meaning it's seriously been altered
> by the terrestrial environment, with replaced minerals and all
> the rest. It was found some years ago. I've seen a photo of it,
> but can't find that website today, but it is an encapsulated clast
> that can only be identified as carbonaceous by the simple fact
> that it's so rich in carbon."
>
> You can find color pics of this fossilized, terrestrialized piece plus
> some info in an article in the January 2000 issue of the National
> Geographic in the department "Geographica" and there's another
> article + color photo here:
>
> Sky & Telescope, March 1999,
> p. 22: Piece of a Killer Asteroid ?
>
> The pictu
> re description says:
>
> "This 2.5-millimeter-wide fossil meteorite, embedded in the light
> brown clay
> from the Pacific sea floor, may be the first known sample of the
> object that
> struck the Earth 65 million years ago, driving many species to
> extinction.
> Courtesy Frank T. Kyte."
>
> I am going to send the pics to your personal email address!
>
> Best from Germany,
> Fathers' Day here :-)
>
> Bernd
>
>
>
> To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Cc: sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net
>
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-- 
Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman       phone: (703) 648-6184
US Geological Survey          fax:   (703) 648-6383
954 National Center
Reston, VA 20192, USA

Received on Thu 21 May 2009 04:36:51 PM PDT