[meteorite-list] More Meteorite Geography Trivia

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:11:40 -0600
Message-ID: <001e01c95d4e$4021d0c0$a62ae146_at_ATARIENGINE>

Hi, List,

Michael wrote:
> What are the chances of a meteorite landing on
> a relatively-small island in the middle of a sea?

Well, the answer is that the chances of a meteorite landing
anywhere are exactly the same as of it landing anywhere else.
The "landing" of a meteorite is as purely random an event as
any natural event can be. There is no causal connection
between the path of the meteoroid and the geography of
the Earth or indeed, anything about the Earth except that
it got in the way of the meteoroid.

If you were standing idly about in your front yard and a
meteorite whizzed down and landed in front of your feet,
you would jump and scream, "OMG! What are the odds
of that?!" But the odds of that meteorite landing on the
square meter you were standing on is unaffected by the fact
that you were standing there. Likewise, any square meter
you stand on, anywhere, is as likely to have a meteorite
land on it as any other, whether that square meter of Earth
is land or sea, for example. (Since nearly 70% of the Earth
is water, 70% of all meteorites land there.)

So, when you go out into your front yard tonight to wait for
that meteorite to land at your feet, you can stand anywhere
in the yard you want to! (Or sit in a yard chair, if you want;
that doesn't affect the odds either.) Don't laugh! The meteorite
that lands -- Plop! -- at someone's feet in the front yard has
actually happened, and in relatively recent times. Check out
the NOBLESVILLE (Indiana) fall.


Sterling K. Webb
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Gilmer" <michael_w_gilmer at yahoo.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2008 10:08 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] More Meteorite Geography Trivia


Some more meteorite-geography trivia :

1) Jamaica has one known meteorite, Lucky Hill, an iron IIIAB. What are the
chances of a meteorite landing on a relatively-small island in the middle of
a sea? This meteorite could have easily ended up on the bottom of the
Caribbean, but instead it gets to spend it's days in a tropical beach
paradise. (I hope it's stored with some dessicant!)

2) Iran has only 2 known meteorites - both of them witnessed falls! Naragh
is an H6 hammer stone that penetrated the roof of a school on August 18,
1974. No casualties were reported. The other fall is Veramin, a
mesosiderite, which fell around April 18, 1880. Veramin has been kept in
Tehran's Golestan Palace since then.

3) Ireland has 6 recorded meteorites - all of them witnessed falls. (The
Tanzanians have competition!) All of Ireland's meteorites have been OC's and
one remains unclassified - Pettiswood.

4) Not to be left out, Northern Ireland (statisically seperatre from Ireland
proper) has 2 known meteorites, both OC witnessed falls.

5) The United States has over 1519 approved meteorites!

This US tally includes :

2 acapulcoites
5 aubrites
22 carbonaceous chondrites
2 diogenites
4 EL chondrites
11 eucrites
more OC's than you can shake a magnetic cane at
4 howardites
a boatload of irons
2 Martian meteorites (LA001/002 & Lafayette)
8 mesosiderites
18 pallasites
1 rumuruti chondrite
2 ureilites
2 winonaites

:)

.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/fine_meteorites_4_sale
..........................................................




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Received on Sat 13 Dec 2008 01:11:40 PM PST