[meteorite-list] NP Article, 12-1935 Odessa Crater

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:13:08 2004
Message-ID: <BAY4-DAV606dZqN3Ssx000074d7_at_hotmail.com>

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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Title: Reno Gazette=20
City: Reno, Nevada=20
Date: Friday, December 27, 1935
Page: 6

METEOR'S CRATER BECOMES STATE PARK

     AUSTION, Tex. - The first of the few known meteorite craters in the =
world to be made accessible to the tourist will be near Odessa, Texas, =
if plans of the Texas Park board are carried out early in 1936 as a =
project of the state centennial year program. The little known =
meteorite crater in Ector county may be turned into a state park to make =
it possible for centennial visitors to view it next year.
     The Odessa crater, according to Dr. Clyde Fisher, curator of =
astronomy and head of the Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural =
History in New York City, rivals in interest the famous meteor crater =
near Winslow, Ariz.
     Dr. Fisher credits D. M. Barringer Jr., with the theory that the =
Texas crater resulted from meteoritic impact. He expects to visit the =
little known Odessa crater to dulpicate the studies and photographic =
survey by plane he made of the Arizona crater.
     In Dr. Fisher's opinion the Arizona and Texas meteorites probably =
date back to the same period, between forty thousand and seventy-five =
thousand years ago, and might originally have formed the head of a small =
comet which was split before reaching the earth.
     A. H. Nininger, Denver geologist, is the only man who has followed =
up the original survey made in Texas by Barringer. His studies show =
that good results may be obtained in the exploration for metorite =
fragments at a depth of 180 feet in the crater near Odessa.
     It was necessary to sink a shaft fourteen hundred feet before the =
main body of the Arizona meteor was encountered. Hurting toward the =
earth many hundred times faster than the speed of a bullet, the meteor =
probably made up a comparatively small iron masses, crashed through =
layers of rock, penetrating into the earth to a depth of more than a =
quarter-mile. The crater is about four-fifths of a mile in diameter and =
six hundred feet deep, compared to the six-hundred foot diameter of the =
Texas crater.
     The theory advanced by Dr. F. R. Moulton and others that the force =
of the impact when a meteor strikes the earth might generate sufficient =
heat to vaporize the main body, leaves open the question as to whether =
exploration at Odessa may discover the largest meteoric mass yet found.

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<DIV>Title: Reno Gazette <BR>City: Reno, Nevada <BR>Date: Friday, =
December 27,=20
1935<BR>Page: 6</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>METEOR'S CRATER BECOMES STATE PARK</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; AUSTION, Tex. - The first of the few known =

meteorite craters in the world to be made accessible to the tourist will =
be near=20
Odessa, Texas, if plans of the Texas Park board are carried out early in =
1936 as=20
a project of the state centennial year program.&nbsp; The little known =
meteorite=20
crater in Ector county may be turned into a state park to make it =
possible for=20
centennial visitors to view it next year.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
The Odessa=20
crater, according to Dr. Clyde Fisher, curator of astronomy and head of =
the=20
Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History in New York City, =
rivals=20
in interest the famous meteor crater near Winslow,=20
Ariz.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dr. Fisher credits D. M. Barringer =
Jr., with=20
the theory that the Texas crater resulted from meteoritic impact.&nbsp; =
He=20
expects to visit the little known Odessa crater to dulpicate the studies =
and=20
photographic survey by plane he made of the Arizona=20
crater.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In Dr. Fisher's opinion the Arizona =
and=20
Texas meteorites probably date back to the same period, between forty =
thousand=20
and seventy-five thousand years ago, and might originally have formed =
the head=20
of a small comet which was split before reaching the=20
earth.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A. H. Nininger, Denver geologist, is =
the only=20
man who has followed up the original survey made in Texas by =
Barringer.&nbsp;=20
His studies show that good results may be obtained in the exploration =
for=20
metorite fragments at a depth of 180 feet in the crater near=20
Odessa.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was necessary to sink a shaft =
fourteen=20
hundred feet before the main body of the Arizona meteor was =
encountered.&nbsp;=20
Hurting toward the earth many hundred times faster than the speed of a =
bullet,=20
the meteor probably made up a comparatively small iron masses, crashed =
through=20
layers of rock, penetrating into the earth to a depth of more than a=20
quarter-mile.&nbsp; The crater is about four-fifths of a mile in =
diameter and=20
six hundred feet deep, compared to the six-hundred foot diameter of the =
Texas=20
crater.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The theory advanced by Dr. F. R. =
Moulton and=20
others that the force of the impact when a meteor strikes the earth =
might=20
generate sufficient heat to vaporize the main body, leaves open the =
question as=20
to whether exploration at Odessa may discover the largest meteoric mass =
yet=20
found.<BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Wed 23 Apr 2003 11:24:17 AM PDT


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