[meteorite-list] YD event, western meteorites

From: E.P. Grondine <epgrondine_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:45:13 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <1311731113.93455.YahooMailClassic_at_web36904.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi Paul -

The supernova hypothesis does not explain the sudden cooling of the Pacific Current off of the Northwest Pacific Coast.

Let me run through a hypothetical mechanism again: the Berring straits are opened by a northward drainage of glacial Lake Agassiz, apparently triggered by impact this time. Cooler water off the Pacific Coast results in less warm moist air over northen North America (Canada) wdhich results in less snowfall. That in turn reflects less sunlight back into space, and global temperatures rise.

It is nice to see someone giving Mr. Cox's features the attention they deserve.

Hi Rich -

The effect of this cooling current is what the western Lakes archaeologists are speaking of.

For events at the YD itself, we have two Assiboine accounts:

THE ASSINIBOINE ACCOUNTS IN ADRIEN MAYOR'S RETELLING

Fragment 1:

"One Assiniboine name for bones of monstrous size was "Wau-wau-kah". This was a "half spirit, half animal" imagined as a great river monster with long black[?]hair, scales, and horns like trees.

Myth [tradition - epg] tells of its death by the impact of a "thunder stone", a black ["black" due to the ablation surface seen in the meteorites which the Nakota collected - epg], projectile that came whistling out of the west with "terrible velocity", "defeaning noise", and a bright flash - a scenario that seems akin to the modern theory of an asteroid impact 65 million years ago [Mayor gets so close here :P - epg].

"My bones may be found", warned the Water Monster Wau-wau-kah, but unless the Assiniboines made offerings to its spirit, the monster vowed to create disastrous floods and block their trails with its colossal bones."

Fragment 2:

"A tale [tradition - epg] of the antagonism between Thunder and Water Monsters was recounted by an Assiniboine story teller [tradition keeper - epg] (perhaps Coming Day? - AM) in 1909 at Fort Belknap.

"Long ago, some Sioux and Assiniboines camping at a big lake witnessed a battle between Thunder Bird and a Water Monster on an island in the lake."

The storyteller's grandmother had told him that:
"as the Thunder Bird drew the writhing monster up from the island, the Indians' hair and their horses manes, ["horses manes" a non-temporal insertion - epg] stood on end from the electricity. ["electricity" - another non-temporal insertion. Perhaps also a simple telling of a large electrophorenic effect. - epg]

"The Thunder Bird's lightening ignited raging forest fires; then a long terrible blizzard followed; and still later the lake bed dried up and many kinds of animals perished there."

THIS WAS AT THE YD IMPACT -

Paul, which western lake was it?

In regards to the "horses manes", it needs to be noted that a rider on a horse in the plains is a high point that will attract lightening, much as a golfer on a gold course will, and thus it was important to learn the signs of an impending lightening strike.

METEORITES - For everyone else here:

In the footnotes we also find these two items on the Pawnee:
"Besides an interest in fossils, the Pawnees were also keenly aware of meteorites, which they located and collected after observing their trajectories. Indeed, the Kansas prairie is one of the best places on Earth to find meteorites." page 377

"Pawnee priests were concerned with astronomy, while Pawnee doctors dealt with earth phenomena, such as fossils. page 376

If you find meteorites on a ledge, or with human bones, in that area, leave them.

Sonny, you may have been closer than you imagined in your recent hunt. But would you really have wanted to take home that meteorite?

good hunting,
Ed
Received on Tue 26 Jul 2011 09:45:13 PM PDT