[meteorite-list] Biophysicist confirms Liberal boy's meteorite discovery

From: Michael Fowler <mqfowler_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:16:04 -0600
Message-ID: <6E6E20C5-741D-43B2-B857-1922F72170B5_at_mac.com>

Hi Jason etc.

How to explain a foot deep hole? You missed my point. Maybe it is not a foot deep! First, a 10 year old boy might no have a very good idea of how much a foot is, or he may be exaggerating. Second, you have to trust that the news media got it right. Can you count on that?

I don't stand by anything, just offering an alternative hypothesis. Time will tell.

Mike Fowler

> Mike, All,
> Two problems - 1) how do you explain the foot-deep hole? It's one
> thing to exaggerate a thumping sound, but a hole tends to be pretty
> tangible evidence. Either there is a foot-deep hole or there isn't.
> Someone should go check, perhaps...
> 2) Check out the odds. Even if it were a meteorite, the odds that
> this fall would be an iron are akin to one in a hundred (as opposed to
> its being a stone). Beyond that, take a look at the iron - it looks
> to be identical to one of the most common iron falls on the market.
> Ridiculously rare fall (it happened during the Leonids, no less, with
> no observations of a fireball), or easy-to-stage hoax.
> I stand by what I said before.
> Jason
>
> On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 9:54 AM, Michael Fowler <mqfowler at mac.com> wrote:
>
> > Meteorite Hoax, or meteorite exaggeration?
>
> >
>
> > As a meteorite hoax, it is missing many of the classic symptoms, no flaming trail, no red hot iron at the bottom of the hole etc.
>
> >
>
> > Let me propose an alternate explanation: The size of the hole and the material shooting 5 feet high was an exaggeration, but it actually is a real fall.
>
> >
>
> > Mike Fowler
>
> > Chicago
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >> Graham, All,
>
> >> Exactly what I was thinking when I saw the iron - well, that and think
>
> >> about it - a 47g meteorite just made a foot-deep crater, sending
>
> >> material five feet into the air?
>
> >> The whole story is ridiculous - such a stone should have made a little
>
> >> dent in the ground (we're talking a inch or two) - it wouldn't be
>
> >> unremarkable if someone standing fifteen feet away didn't notice it
>
> >> fall, or simply assumed someone had thrown a rock at them.
>
> >> This sounds like another sensationalist looking for their moment of fame.
>
> >> Bah.
>
> >> Jason
>
>
> >> On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 3:34 AM, <ensoramanda at ntlworld.com> wrote:
>
> >>
>
> >> > Hi All,
>
>
> >> > Strange....as there is all this talk at the moment about fresh iron 'fusion crust' then this does not look like a fresh iron fall but just like one of the treated sikhote alins I just mentioned in my last post!!!
>
>
>
> >> > Dubious!
>
>
> >> > Graham
>
>
>
> >> > ---- Meteorites USA <eric at meteoritesusa.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> >> >> http://www.hutchnews.com/Localregional/spacerock
>
>>
Received on Thu 19 Nov 2009 01:16:04 PM PST