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Re: Hot and cold



Hi Bernd and all,

>>No, I don't think so. In spite of all those reports like "too hot to
handle", etc., most of them will be "cold" or at most "warm to the
touch"<<

My point exactly! The original discussion on this topic many months back
was if stony meteorites were hot or cold when they landed. When posting
the hot/cold topic again I neglected to re-summarize the topic guide
lines ( a serious mistake on this list) Obviously a iron meteor conducts
heat much better than a stony one and if it orientates or has a slower
fall speed there is a possibility for heat build up.

I view the hot and cold topic this way. I deal with many people as far as
education and I try to tell them the normal dynamics of a fall rather
than the once every so often type of fall. The odds of someone finding or
seeing a meteorite land is very rare so I try to advise them what they
might expect to see and find normally.

Many of the reports are not well documented down and are unfortunately
based on laymen hysteria after a dramatic event. I do think there has
been good documentation sited to indicate that most stones that fall are
cold. This is the norm. If they were red hot for hours the isotope clocks
would be reset and they would be of little use as they would be
chemically altered inside.

--AL

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