[meteorite-list] Meteor Caused Mystery Explosion in England

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Oct 30 00:54:27 2006
Message-ID: <200610300554.VAA13834_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/6096208.stm

'Meteor' caused mystery explosion
BBC News
October 29, 2006

A chief scientist claims a loud bang on the north Cornwall and Devon
border was caused by a large meteor exploding.

David Carcary from the West Cornwall Astronomical Society said a meteor
had created the sonic boom before burning up after it entered the
atmosphere.

He said the lack of any seismological signals indicates it burned up
before it hit the ground.

Residents in the Bude and Holsworthy areas had reported hearing a loud
bang around midday on Thursday.

One resident in Bude said a crack in her kitchen had widened as a
result, while others reported experiencing their properties "shaking".

A BBC Radio Cornwall listener said: "The stables physically shook. It
sounded like Concorde used to sound when it broke the sonic barrier. But
much louder. It went 'boom, boom'."

Checks carried out by Western Power and the British Geological Survey in
the area were inconclusive and the Ministry of Defence, the RAF and the
Civil Aviation Authority said there were no records of their aircraft
flying over the area.

Mr Carcary believes a similar explosion which shook the south of New
Zealand in September was caused by a meteor.

"As soon as I heard the news of the bang, that was the most obvious
explanation to me.

"There wasn't any seismic evidence so it burnt out before it hit the
ground - luckily for the people of Bude - and if it was an aircraft, I
would have expected someone to have seen it.

"I'm fairly convinced it was a meteor but the only way to prove it would
be to have an audio recording of the boom."
Received on Mon 30 Oct 2006 12:54:00 AM PST