Milley 2010.Pdf (10.17Mb)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Milley 2010.Pdf (10.17Mb) University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 2010 Physical Properties of Fireball-Producing Earth-Impacting Meteoroids and Orbit Determination through Shadow Calibration of the Buzzard Coulee Meteorite Fall Milley, Ellen Palesa Milley, E. P. (2010). Physical Properties of Fireball-Producing Earth-Impacting Meteoroids and Orbit Determination through Shadow Calibration of the Buzzard Coulee Meteorite Fall (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/17766 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/47937 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Physical Properties of Fireball-Producing Earth-Impacting Meteoroids and Orbit Determination through Shadow Calibration of the Buzzard Coulee Meteorite Fall by Ellen Palesa Milley A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCE CALGARY, ALBERTA April, 2010 ©c Ellen Palesa Milley 2010 The author of this thesis has granted the University of Calgary a non-exclusive license to reproduce and distribute copies of this thesis to users of the University of Calgary Archives. Copyright remains with the author. Theses and dissertations available in the University of Calgary Institutional Repository are solely for the purpose of private study and research. They may not be copied or reproduced, except as permitted by copyright laws, without written authority of the copyright owner. Any commercial use or re-publication is strictly prohibited. The original Partial Copyright License attesting to these terms and signed by the author of this thesis may be found in the original print version of the thesis, held by the University of Calgary Archives. Please contact the University of Calgary Archives for further information: E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: (403) 220-7271 Website: http://archives.ucalgary.ca Abstract The physical properties of the meteoroid population were investigated through combining data from a number of fireball camera networks. PE values, as a measure of meteoroid strength, were calculated and linked with other observational criteria (Tisserand param­ eter, meteor shower identification). The historic divisions for fireball types based on the PE criterion were not observed in the large data set, but a correlation with source re­ gion was recognized. Meteor showers demonstrated different amounts of variation in PE values potentially related to the materials found in each parent comet. The trajectory and pre-fall orbit for the Buzzard Coulee meteoroid were determined through the calibration of shadows cast by the fireball. The method of using shadows to triangulate a trajectory was developed and evaluated. The best fit trajectory was coupled with an initial velocity of 18.0 km/s to compute the heliocentric orbit. Buzzard Coulee fell from a modestly inclined near-Earth Apollo orbit. It is the 12th fallen meteorite to be associated with an orbit. ii Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank Dr. Alan Hildebrand for his experience, guidance and financial support throughout the course of this project. He has given me an incredible number of learning opportunities from the classroom in Geology 699: Meteorites and Asteroids, to travelling the world and meeting other scientists in Prague, Czech Republic. He has been pivotal in the progress of my research project, has extended me invitations for speaking engagements, given me experience working with the media and allowed me to lead some of the meteorite search efforts. It has been an adventure. I am grateful to Dr. Margaret Campbell-Brown for her time and patience working with me throughout the past years. She has provided me with continuous support and supervision throughout my project. She was a wonderful host during my two visits to the University of Western Ontario. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Peter Brown for his time and consistent support throughout my project. In particular, I would like to thank him for the work he did in calibrating Gordon Sarty’s all-sky camera to work out an initial velocity for Buzzard Coulee, and in adapting code and running numerous simulations to determine the un­ certainties in the trajectory solution. Your knowledge in meteor science is an immense resource, thank you for sharing it with me. Thank you to my examination committee members for taking the time out of their busy schedules to read and review my work. Additionally I would like to thank a number of people for their contributions and guidance. In the Meteor Physics Group at the Uni­ versity of Western Ontario: Dr. Wayne Edwards, Sean Kohut and Zbigniew Krzeminski. At Portland State University: Drs. Alex Ruzicka and Melinda Hutson. Thanks to Mike Noble for the effort in taking crucial measurements for the site surveys at camera loca­ tions. Rob Cardinal for computer assistance, creating orbit plots and predicting Buzzard iii iv Coulee’s position prior to falling. Jeff Kriz, for driving long hours and staying up late to help take pictures of stars. A special thank you to Lynne Maillet for her computer software assistance, her expertise in mapping and for lending me her camera to take stellar shots. There are hundreds of people who have had an influence over my project, many may not even realize it. Thank you to the landowners, search volunteers, business owners and camera operators in Buzzard Coulee and beyond. I would like to extend my gratitude to video owners for kindly granting me the use of their records: Adam Baxter and the town of Devon, Glenn Lypkie, Alister Ling, Rod and Diana Meger, Ali and Fara Rahmanian, Gordon Sarty, and Rob Tait. Thank you to the landowners, in particular to Al and Jan Mitchell, Ellen and Ian Mitchell, Barb and Elwood Ferguson, for allowing us to trample through their fields in the name of science. A special thank you to Ellen and Ian for their gracious hospitality in hosting our search headquarters and for giving me two rocks that hold a special place in my heart. I am grateful to a number of funding institutions for their support throughout my graduate work: NSERC for a Canada Graduate Scholarship, Alberta Ingenuity Fund for an Incentive Award, the Department of Graduate Studies for two Graduate Research Scholarships, the Canadian Space Agency for a Space Awareness & Learning Grant and to the Graduate Student Association (University of Calgary) for a Conference Grant. Friends and family often seem to be left until the end of the acknowledgements, of course without them I would not be where I am today. Samantha Jones, thank you for showing me how it is all done, you are a role model and a great friend. Thank you to my family for their unwavering support. Bobby, your continuity in my life is a foundation, thank you for your patience. “Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.” — Edwin Hubble, 1889-1953 For my Family. v vi Table of Contents Abstract ....................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................. iii Table of Contents .................................. vi List of Tables .................................... vii List of Figures .................................... viii List of Units and Symbols ............................. ix List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................... xi 1 Introduction .................................. 1 1.1 Comets, Asteroids and Meteors ....................... 1 1.2 Linking Origin and Material ......................... 7 1.2.1 The PE Criterion ........................... 7 1.2.2 The Tisserand Parameter ...................... 9 1.2.3 Meteorites Associated with an Orbit . 9 1.3 The Buzzard Coulee Fall ........................... 15 1.4 Research Project Outline ........................... 15 2 Fireball Network Events ........................... 17 2.1 Historical Overview of Fireball Networks . 17 2.2 Methodology ................................. 21 2.2.1 Calibration, Trajectory and Orbit Derivation . 21 2.2.2 Determining Mass and Calculating the PE Criterion . 23 2.2.3 Combining and Correcting Data from Fireball Networks . 27 2.3 Results and Discussion ............................ 30 2.3.1 PE Value Distributions by Fireball Network . 30 2.3.2 Fireball Strength and Source Region . 34 2.3.3 PE Values of Shower Events ..................... 38 2.3.4 Distribution of Orbital Elements . 41 2.4 Summary and Conclusions .......................... 48 3 The Buzzard Coulee Meteorite Fall ..................... 51 3.1 Introduction to the Buzzard Coulee Event . 51 3.1.1 Naming and Typing of the Meteorite . 54 3.2 Atmospheric Trajectory ........................... 60 3.2.1 Shadow Calibrations ......................... 60 3.2.2 Video Calibrations .......................... 70 3.2.3 Trajectory Results and Discussion . 74 3.2.4 Velocity Results and Discussion ................... 84 3.3 Pre-Fall Orbit ................................. 89 3.3.1 Discussion ............................... 89 3.4 Summary and Conclusions .......................... 99 Bibliography .................................... 102 A Fireball Networks ..............................
Recommended publications
  • Handbook of Iron Meteorites, Volume 3
    Sierra Blanca - Sierra Gorda 1119 ing that created an incipient recrystallization and a few COLLECTIONS other anomalous features in Sierra Blanca. Washington (17 .3 kg), Ferry Building, San Francisco (about 7 kg), Chicago (550 g), New York (315 g), Ann Arbor (165 g). The original mass evidently weighed at least Sierra Gorda, Antofagasta, Chile 26 kg. 22°54's, 69°21 'w Hexahedrite, H. Single crystal larger than 14 em. Decorated Neu­ DESCRIPTION mann bands. HV 205± 15. According to Roy S. Clarke (personal communication) Group IIA . 5.48% Ni, 0.5 3% Co, 0.23% P, 61 ppm Ga, 170 ppm Ge, the main mass now weighs 16.3 kg and measures 22 x 15 x 43 ppm Ir. 13 em. A large end piece of 7 kg and several slices have been removed, leaving a cut surface of 17 x 10 em. The mass has HISTORY a relatively smooth domed surface (22 x 15 em) overlying a A mass was found at the coordinates given above, on concave surface with irregular depressions, from a few em the railway between Calama and Antofagasta, close to to 8 em in length. There is a series of what appears to be Sierra Gorda, the location of a silver mine (E.P. Henderson chisel marks around the center of the domed surface over 1939; as quoted by Hey 1966: 448). Henderson (1941a) an area of 6 x 7 em. Other small areas on the edges of the gave slightly different coordinates and an analysis; but since specimen could also be the result of hammering; but the he assumed Sierra Gorda to be just another of the North damage is only superficial, and artificial reheating has not Chilean hexahedrites, no further description was given.
    [Show full text]
  • Meteorites and Impacts: Research, Cataloguing and Geoethics
    Seminario_10_2013_d 10/6/13 17:12 Página 75 Meteorites and impacts: research, cataloguing and geoethics / Jesús Martínez-Frías Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, asociado al NASA Astrobiology Institute, Ctra de Ajalvir, km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain Abstract Meteorites are basically fragments from asteroids, moons and planets which travel trough space and crash on earth surface or other planetary body. Meteorites and their impact events are two topics of research which are scientifically linked. Spain does not have a strong scientific tradition of the study of meteorites, unlike many other European countries. This contribution provides a synthetic overview about three crucial aspects related to this subject: research, cataloging and geoethics. At present, there are more than 20,000 meteorite falls, many of them collected after 1969. The Meteoritical Bulletin comprises 39 meteoritic records for Spain. The necessity of con- sidering appropriate protocols, scientific integrity issues and a code of good practice regarding the study of the abiotic world, also including meteorites, is emphasized. Resumen Los meteoritos son, básicamente, fragmentos procedentes de los asteroides, la Luna y Marte que chocan contra la superficie de la Tierra o de otro cuerpo planetario. Su estudio está ligado científicamente a la investigación de sus eventos de impacto. España no cuenta con una fuerte tradición científica sobre estos temas, al menos con el mismo nivel de desarrollo que otros paí- ses europeos. En esta contribución se realiza una revisión sintética de tres aspectos cruciales relacionados con los meteoritos: su investigación, catalogación y geoética. Hasta el momento se han reconocido más de 20.000 caídas meteoríticas, muchas de ellos desde 1969.
    [Show full text]
  • The Villalbeto De La Peña Meteorite Fall: II. Determination of Atmospheric Trajectory and Orbit
    Meteoritics & Planetary Science 41, Nr 4, 505–517 (2006) Abstract available online at http://meteoritics.org The Villalbeto de la Peña meteorite fall: II. Determination of atmospheric trajectory and orbit Josep M. TRIGO-RODRÍGUEZ1, 2*, JiÚí BOROVIª.$3, Pavel SPURNÝ3, José L. ORTIZ4, José A. DOCOBO5, Alberto J. CASTRO-TIRADO4, and Jordi LLORCA2, 6 1Institut de Ciències de l’Espai (ICE-CSIC), Campus UAB, Facultat de Ciències, Torre C-5, parells, 2a planta, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain 2Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), Ed. Nexus, Gran Capità 2-4, 08034 Barcelona, Spain 3Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences, OndÚHMRY2EVHUYDWRU\&]HFK5HSXEOLF 4Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC), P.O. Box 3004, 18080 Granada, Spain 5Observatorio Astronómico Ramón Maria Aller, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain 6Institut de Tècniques Energètiques, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] (Received 23 April 2005; revision accepted 3 November 2005) Abstract–The L6 ordinary chondrite Villalbeto de la Peña fall occurred on January 4, 2004, at 16:46: 45 r 2 s UTC. The related daylight fireball was witnessed by thousands of people from Spain, Portugal, and southern France, and was also photographed and videotaped from different locations of León and Palencia provinces in Spain. From accurate astrometric calibrations of these records, we have determined the atmospheric trajectory of the meteoroid. The initial fireball velocity, calculated from measurements of 86 video frames, was 16.9 r 0.4 km/s. The slope of the trajectory was 29.0 r 0.6° to the horizontal, the recorded velocity during the main fragmentation at a height of 27.9 r 0.4 km was 14.2 r 0.2 km/s, and the fireball terminal height was 22.2 r 0.2 km.
    [Show full text]
  • Orbit and Dynamic Origin of the Recently Recovered Annama’S H5 Chondrite
    ORBIT AND DYNAMIC ORIGIN OF THE RECENTLY RECOVERED ANNAMA’S H5 CHONDRITE Josep M. Trigo-Rodríguez1 Esko Lyytinen2 Maria Gritsevich2,3,4,5,8 Manuel Moreno-Ibáñez1 William F. Bottke6 Iwan Williams7 Valery Lupovka8 Vasily Dmitriev8 Tomas Kohout 2, 9, 10 Victor Grokhovsky4 1 Institute of Space Science (CSIC-IEEC), Campus UAB, Facultat de Ciències, Torre C5-parell-2ª, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Finnish Fireball Network, Helsinki, Finland. 3 Dept. of Geodesy and Geodynamics, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI), National Land Survey of Finland, Geodeentinrinne 2, FI-02431 Masala, Finland 4 Dept. of Physical Methods and Devices for Quality Control, Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Mira street 19, 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia. 5 Russian Academy of Sciences, Dorodnicyn Computing Centre, Dept. of Computational Physics, Valilova 40, 119333 Moscow, Russia. 6 Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut St., Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA. 7Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Rd. London E1 4NS, UK. 8 Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography (MIIGAiK), Extraterrestrial Laboratory, Moscow, Russian Federation 9Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014 Helsinki University, Finland 10Institute of Geology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 269, 16500 Prague 6, Czech Republic Abstract: We describe the fall of Annama meteorite occurred in the remote Kola Peninsula (Russia) close to Finnish border on April 19, 2014 (local time). The fireball was instrumentally observed by the Finnish Fireball Network. From these observations the strewnfield was computed and two first meteorites were found only a few hundred meters from the predicted landing site on May 29th and May 30th 2014, so that the meteorite (an H4-5 chondrite) experienced only minimal terrestrial alteration.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hamburg Meteorite Fall: Fireball Trajectory, Orbit and Dynamics
    The Hamburg Meteorite Fall: Fireball trajectory, orbit and dynamics P.G. Brown1,2*, D. Vida3, D.E. Moser4, M. Granvik5,6, W.J. Koshak7, D. Chu8, J. Steckloff9,10, A. Licata11, S. Hariri12, J. Mason13, M. Mazur3, W. Cooke14, and Z. Krzeminski1 *Corresponding author email: [email protected] ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6130-7039 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada 2Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada 3Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada ( 4Jacobs Space Exploration Group, EV44/Meteoroid Environment Office, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 USA 5Department of Physics, P.O. Box 64, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland 6 Division of Space Technology, Luleå University of Technology, Kiruna, Box 848, S-98128, Sweden 7NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, ST11, Robert Cramer Research Hall, 320 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805, USA 8Chesapeake Aerospace LLC, Grasonville, MD 21638, USA 9Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA 10Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA 11Farmington Community Stargazers, Farmington Hills, MI, USA 12Department of Physics and Astronomy, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA 13Orchard Ridge Campus, Oakland Community College, Farmington Hills, MI, USA 14NASA Meteoroid Environment Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 35812, USA Accepted to Meteoritics and Planetary Science, June 19, 2019 85 pages, 4 tables, 15 figures, 1 appendix. Original submission September, 2018. 1 Abstract The Hamburg (H4) meteorite fell on January 17, 2018 at 01:08 UT approximately 10km North of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
    [Show full text]
  • Lost Lake by Robert Verish
    Meteorite-Times Magazine Contents by Editor Like Sign Up to see what your friends like. Featured Monthly Articles Accretion Desk by Martin Horejsi Jim’s Fragments by Jim Tobin Meteorite Market Trends by Michael Blood Bob’s Findings by Robert Verish IMCA Insights by The IMCA Team Micro Visions by John Kashuba Galactic Lore by Mike Gilmer Meteorite Calendar by Anne Black Meteorite of the Month by Michael Johnson Tektite of the Month by Editor Terms Of Use Materials contained in and linked to from this website do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Meteorite Exchange, Inc., nor those of any person connected therewith. In no event shall The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. be responsible for, nor liable for, exposure to any such material in any form by any person or persons, whether written, graphic, audio or otherwise, presented on this or by any other website, web page or other cyber location linked to from this website. The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. does not endorse, edit nor hold any copyright interest in any material found on any website, web page or other cyber location linked to from this website. The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. shall not be held liable for any misinformation by any author, dealer and or seller. In no event will The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. be liable for any damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, consequential, or other damages arising out of this service. © Copyright 2002–2010 The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. All rights reserved. No reproduction of copyrighted material is allowed by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • March 21–25, 2016
    FORTY-SEVENTH LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE PROGRAM OF TECHNICAL SESSIONS MARCH 21–25, 2016 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center The Woodlands, Texas INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT Universities Space Research Association Lunar and Planetary Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute Eileen Stansbery, NASA Johnson Space Center PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRS David Draper, NASA Johnson Space Center Walter Kiefer, Lunar and Planetary Institute PROGRAM COMMITTEE P. Doug Archer, NASA Johnson Space Center Nicolas LeCorvec, Lunar and Planetary Institute Katherine Bermingham, University of Maryland Yo Matsubara, Smithsonian Institute Janice Bishop, SETI and NASA Ames Research Center Francis McCubbin, NASA Johnson Space Center Jeremy Boyce, University of California, Los Angeles Andrew Needham, Carnegie Institution of Washington Lisa Danielson, NASA Johnson Space Center Lan-Anh Nguyen, NASA Johnson Space Center Deepak Dhingra, University of Idaho Paul Niles, NASA Johnson Space Center Stephen Elardo, Carnegie Institution of Washington Dorothy Oehler, NASA Johnson Space Center Marc Fries, NASA Johnson Space Center D. Alex Patthoff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cyrena Goodrich, Lunar and Planetary Institute Elizabeth Rampe, Aerodyne Industries, Jacobs JETS at John Gruener, NASA Johnson Space Center NASA Johnson Space Center Justin Hagerty, U.S. Geological Survey Carol Raymond, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lindsay Hays, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Paul Schenk,
    [Show full text]
  • Organic Matter in Meteorites Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Spain
    REVIEW ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGY (2004) 7:239-248 www.im.microbios.org Jordi Llorca Organic matter in meteorites Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Spain Summary. Some primitive meteorites are carbon-rich objects containing a vari- ety of organic molecules that constitute a valuable record of organic chemical evo- lution in the universe prior to the appearance of microorganisms. Families of com- pounds include hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, amino acids, amines, amides, heterocycles, phosphonic acids, sulfonic acids, sugar-relat- ed compounds and poorly defined high-molecular weight macromolecules. A vari- ety of environments are required in order to explain this organic inventory, includ- ing interstellar processes, gas-grain reactions operating in the solar nebula, and hydrothermal alteration of parent bodies. Most likely, substantial amounts of such Received 15 September 2004 organic materials were delivered to the Earth via a late accretion, thereby provid- Accepted 15 October 2004 ing organic compounds important for the emergence of life itself, or that served as a feedstock for further chemical evolution. This review discusses the organic con- Address for correspondence: Departament de Química Inorgànica tent of primitive meteorites and their relevance to the build up of biomolecules. Universitat de Barcelona [Int Microbiol 2004; 7(4):239-248] Martí i Franquès, 1-11 08028 Barcelona, Spain Tel. +34-934021235. Fax +34-934907725 Key words: primitive meteorites · prebiotic chemistry · chemical evolution · E-mail: [email protected] origin of life providing new opportunities for scientific advancement. One Introduction of the most important findings regarding such bodies is that comets and certain types of meteorites contain organic mole- Like a carpentry shop littered with wood shavings after the cules formed in space that may have had a relevant role in the work is done, debris left over from the formation of the Sun origin of the first microorganisms on Earth.
    [Show full text]
  • Did a Comet Deliver the Chelyabinsk Meteorite?
    EPSC Abstracts Vol. 11, EPSC2017-2, 2017 European Planetary Science Congress 2017 EEuropeaPn PlanetarSy Science CCongress c Author(s) 2017 Did a Comet Deliver the Chelyabinsk Meteorite? O.G. Gladysheva Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of RAS, St.Petersburg, Russa, ([email protected] / Fax: +7(812)2971017) Abstract source of the appearance of such a gradient can be only the direct bombardment of the crystal by SCR An explosion of a celestial body occurred on the iron nuclei with energy of 1-100 MeV [6]. fifteenth of February, 2013, near Chelyabinsk Interacting with the surface of the meteorite, protons (Russia). The explosive energy was determined as and helium GCR nuclei form isotopes, some ~500 kt of TNT, on the basis of which the mass of radioactive, which are allocated to a specific location the bolide was estimated at ~107 kg, and its diameter by depth in the body of the meteorite. A measurement of the composition of radionuclides at ~19 m [1]. Fragments of the meteorite, such as 22 26 54 60 LL5/S4-WO type ordinary chondrite [2] with a total Na, Al, Mn and Co in 12 fragments of the mass only of ~2·103 kg, fell to the earth’s surface [3]. Chelyabinsk meteorite, and a comparison of the Here, we will demonstrate that the deficit of the results with model calculations of the formation of celestial body’s mass can be explained by the arrival these isotopes in meteorites according to depth, of the Chelyabinsk chondrite on Earth by a showed that 4 fragments of the meteorite were significantly more massive but fragile ice-bearing located in a layer 30 cm deep, 3 fragments at a depth celestial body.
    [Show full text]
  • Tree-Ring Dating of Meteorite Fall in Sikhote-Alin, Eastern Siberia – Russia
    International Journal of Astrobiology, Page 1 of 6 1 doi:10.1017/S1473550411000309 © Cambridge University Press 2011 Tree-ring dating of meteorite fall in Sikhote-Alin, Eastern Siberia – Russia R. Fantucci1, Mario Di Martino2 and Romano Serra3 1Geologi Associati Fantucci e Stocchi, 01027 Montefiascone (VT), Italy e-mail: [email protected] 2INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, 10025 Pino Torinese, Italy 3Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Bologna, via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy Abstract: This research deals with the fall of the Sikhote-Alin iron meteorite on the morning of 12 February 1947, at about 00:38 h Utrecht, in a remote area in the territory of Primorsky Krai in Eastern Siberia (46°09′ 36″N, 134°39′22″E). The area engulfed by the meteoritic fall was around 48 km2, with an elliptic form and thousands of craters. Around the large craters the trees were torn out by the roots and laid radially to the craters at a distance of 10–20 m; the more distant trees had broken tops. This research investigated through dendrocronology n.6 Scots pine trees (Pinus Sibirica) close to one of the main impact craters. The analysis of growth anomalies has shown a sudden decrease since 1947 for 4–8 years after the meteoritic impact. Tree growth stress, detected in 1947, was analysed in detail through wood microsection that confirmed the winter season (rest vegetative period) of the event. The growth stress is mainly due to the lost crown (needle lost) and it did not seem to be caused due to direct damages on trunk and branches (missing of resin ducts).
    [Show full text]
  • Meteoroids: the Smallest Solar System Bodies
    Passage of Bolides through the Atmosphere 1 O. Popova Abstract Different fragmentation models are applied to a number of events, including the entry of TC3 2008 asteroid in order to reproduce existing observational data. keywords meteoroid entry · fragmentation · modeling 1 Introduction Fragmentation is a very important phenomenon which occurs during the meteoroid entry into the atmosphere and adds more drastic effects than mere deceleration and ablation. Modeling of bolide 6 fragmentation (100 – 10 kg in mass) may be divided into several approaches. Detail fitting of observational data (deceleration and/or light curves) allows the determination of some meteoroid parameters (ablation and shape-density coefficients, fragmentation points, amount of mass loss) (Ceplecha et al. 1993; Ceplecha and ReVelle 2005). Observational data with high accuracy are needed for the gross-fragmentation model (Ceplecha et al. 1993), which is used for the analysis of European and Desert bolide networks data. Hydrodynamical models, which describe the entry of the meteoroid 6 including evolution of its material, are applied mainly for large bodies (>10 kg) (Boslough et al. 1994; Svetsov et al. 1995; Shuvalov and Artemieva 2002, and others). Numerous papers were devoted to the application of standard equations for large meteoroid entry in the attempts to reproduce dynamics and/or radiation for different bolides and to predict meteorite falls. These modeling efforts are often supplemented by different fragmentation models (Baldwin and Sheaffer, 1971; Borovi6ka et al. 1998; Artemieva and Shuvalov, 2001; Bland and Artemieva, 2006, and others). The fragmentation may occur in different ways. For example, few large fragments are formed. These pieces initially interact through their shock waves and then continue their flight independently.
    [Show full text]
  • Radar-Enabled Recovery of the Sutter's Mill Meteorite, A
    RESEARCH ARTICLES the area (2). One meteorite fell at Sutter’sMill (SM), the gold discovery site that initiated the California Gold Rush. Two months after the fall, Radar-Enabled Recovery of the Sutter’s SM find numbers were assigned to the 77 me- teorites listed in table S3 (3), with a total mass of 943 g. The biggest meteorite is 205 g. Mill Meteorite, a Carbonaceous This is a tiny fraction of the pre-atmospheric mass, based on the kinetic energy derived from Chondrite Regolith Breccia infrasound records. Eyewitnesses reported hearing aloudboomfollowedbyadeeprumble.Infra- Peter Jenniskens,1,2* Marc D. Fries,3 Qing-Zhu Yin,4 Michael Zolensky,5 Alexander N. Krot,6 sound signals (table S2A) at stations I57US and 2 2 7 8 8,9 Scott A. Sandford, Derek Sears, Robert Beauford, Denton S. Ebel, Jon M. Friedrich, I56US of the International Monitoring System 6 4 4 10 Kazuhide Nagashima, Josh Wimpenny, Akane Yamakawa, Kunihiko Nishiizumi, (4), located ~770 and ~1080 km from the source, 11 12 10 13 Yasunori Hamajima, Marc W. Caffee, Kees C. Welten, Matthias Laubenstein, are consistent with stratospherically ducted ar- 14,15 14 14,15 16 Andrew M. Davis, Steven B. Simon, Philipp R. Heck, Edward D. Young, rivals (5). The combined average periods of all 17 18 18 19 20 Issaku E. Kohl, Mark H. Thiemens, Morgan H. Nunn, Takashi Mikouchi, Kenji Hagiya, phase-aligned stacked waveforms at each station 21 22 22 22 23 Kazumasa Ohsumi, Thomas A. Cahill, Jonathan A. Lawton, David Barnes, Andrew Steele, of 7.6 s correspond to a mean source energy of 24 4 24 2 25 Pierre Rochette, Kenneth L.
    [Show full text]