[meteorite-list] The Fate of a Kansas Meteorite Crater - a repost (part 2)

From: bernd.pauli_at_paulinet.de <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Nov 18 15:31:54 2005
Message-ID: <DIIE.0000003200003FDD_at_paulinet.de>

PECK ELLIS (1979) The Fate of a Kansas Meteorite
Crater (Sky & Telescope, August 1979, pp. 126-128):

Nininger was one of the few American scientists of the day who was very active in field
studies of meteorites. The few who kept up with the subject of impact craters - this was
the third one recognized in the United States - thought that a great mass of iron or stone
lay buried deep under the crater bottom.
Nininger suggested to the Kimberlys that some probing and more investigation of the wallow
might help scientific studies. He asked permission to excavate, but Frank denied the request.
There was a good stand of wheat growing there (Mr Binford and Steve!), and if hail storms and
early hot winds didn't ruin the crop a good harvest would be ready in a couple of months. Wheat
was valuable and Frank did not care to have part of the crop trampled by men and horses for such
a questionable project. So he told Nininger that nothing would be done till after harvest, and
that his family preferred to do its own digging.
With a hand shovel he had brought, however, Nininger was permitted to explore a little. In a short
trench inside the southeastern rim, he uncovered some potato-sized rusty brown nodules just below
plow depth. These crumbled easily, and revealed crystals of olivine exactly like those found in the
meteorites (Darren !). Frank realized this meant the nodules were oxidized meteorites, but since he
had been unable to sell any such pieces he attached little commercial value to them.
In following years Nininger and the Kimberlys kept in touch. To avoid having unskilled treasure
hunters ruin the wallow, its presence was not publicized. Frank and his family did some digging
there about 1930, and found a lot more of the oxidized fragments two or three feet under the
surface. Finally, in 1933, Nininger secured the Kimberly family's permission for him to excavate
the crater. At this time he also obtained a grant to finance the project.
He hired a team of men to remove the soil with hand shovels, horse-drawn slips, and large scrapers.
He directed that each scoop of dirt be carefully examined and sifted to recover as many meteorites
as possible. Those found ranged from the size of a grain of wheat to a chunk of 85 pounds (39 kg).
One laborer remarked, "The professor sure was particular; sometimes he had us use ice picks and
spoons to dig out a rock that you could see in the wall or bottom of the cut." Most of the workers
came from the Kimberly and neighboring Evans families.
Crater fill was removed with the horsedrawn scraper until the rust stains were reached; these marked
the meteorite-bearing zone. Then shovelers took over to free the individual pieces. Every one they
located was completely oxidized and many were quite moist, so great care was needed to preserve them.
Half of the 1,200 pounds (540 kg) thus uncovered was in pieces weighing between 10 and 85 pounds
(4 to 39 kg). The rest was in smaller fragments. Unexpectedly, no single large meteorite was found.
Instead, the fragment-filled soil formed a cone extending into the ground. Old theories began to give
way to observational data.
When the excavation was finished, and the crater refilled, several thousand pieces had been recovered.
In the decades since then, plowing and filling have caused the buffalo wallow to disappear gradually,
so that it is now nearly impossible to recognize. Thus, the Kimberlys' meteorite impact crater was one
of the few to be completely excavated, and may be the only one that no longer exists. But local farmers
still turn up fragments from time to time, and most meteorite collections possess samples.

Those pieces come under several names, however. The former towns of Brenham and Haviland, each only
a crossroads now, are near the farm, and each has given its name to part of the evidence - Brenham to
the meteorites, Haviland to the crater. Also, an unrelated meteorite found nearby is named Haviland.
The largest of the Brenham meteorites, a half-ton specimen found after Nininger finished there, is
displayed in the municipal museum at Greensburg, the Kiowa County seat. It is one of the largest
pallasites in the world.

A 454.5 kilogram (1,002-pound) pallasite meteorite was discovered in 1948, buried under 63 inches
of soil (about 1.60 m) near Greensburg, Kansas.

Editor's note: This article has been adapted from a forthcoming book (116 pages) by Ellis Peck.
Entitled Space Rocks And Buffalo Grass, it will be published and distributed by Peach Enterprises,
Inc., 4649 Gerald, Warren, Mich. 48092.
Received on Fri 18 Nov 2005 03:31:51 PM PST