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Some meteorite types are easier to find than others. Some meteorite types are degraded by weathering more quickly than others. [1] Some meteorites, especially iron meteorites, may have been collected by people in the past who recognized them as being unusual and/or useful, thereby removing them from the scientific record.
Meteorite weathering is the terrestrial alteration of a meteorite. Most meteorites date from the oldest times in the Solar System and are by far the oldest material available on our planet. Despite their age, they are vulnerable to the terrestrial environment. Water, chlorine and oxygen attack meteorites as soon as they reach the ground.
[1] [2] They are a rare type of meteorite; as of November 2014 only 208 are known (of which 56 come from Antarctica) and only 7 of these are observed falls . On the other hand, some mesosiderites are among the largest meteorites known.
Nakhla meteorite's two halves, showing its inner surfaces after being broken in 1998 Nakhlites are a group of Martian meteorites , named after the first one, Nakhla meteorite . Nakhlites are igneous rocks that are rich in augite and were formed from basaltic magma about 1.3 billion years ago.
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite is the heaviest of these and was an observed fall, [7] while the Old Woman meteorite is, at 38 × 34 × 30 inches (970 × 860 × 760 mm) and 6,070 pounds (2,750 kg) originally, the largest meteorite found in California and the second largest found in the United States.
The Maine Mineral and Gem Museum wants to add to its collection, which includes moon and Mars rocks, Pitt said, so the first meteorite hunters to deliver a 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) specimen will ...
Gas-rich meteorites are meteorites with high levels of primordial gases, such as helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and sometimes other elements. [1] Though these gases are present "in virtually all meteorites," [ 2 ] the Fayetteville meteorite has ~2,000,000 x10 −8 cc STP / g helium, [ 3 ] or ~2% helium by volume equivalent.
A detailed micro-Raman spectroscopic study made it possible to place the formation of the megacryometeors within a particular range of temperatures: −10 to −20 °C (14 to −4 °F). [10] They are sometimes confused with meteors because they can leave small impact craters , though they form in the atmosphere and not from outer space .