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CASTENASO'' Una Nuova Meteoriteitaliana Quoderno di Srudi e Notizie di Storio Nqfurqle dello Romogno Quad.Studi Nal Romagn422:129-135, giugno 2006 ISSN1123-67s7 Notizie Naturalistiche FrancoMeriehi CONDRITE ORDINARIA''CASTENASO'' Una nuova meteoriteitaliana Nonostante io sia molto interessato alla conoscenza delle meraviglie della Natura e partecipi alle tante iniziative che si adoperanoper la salvaguardiadel nostro pianeta e di tutto ciò che vive in esso, mi sono reso conto che, come la grande maggioranza delle persone, ho una conoscenzaassolutamente insuffr- cientedel firmamento,dei misteri e degli equilibri dell'Universo. Sonocerto che una migliore conoscenzadi questi misteri e di questi equilibri potrebbe indurre l'Uomo ad esserepiù consapevoledella propria fragilità e più rispettosoverso la "martoriata" madre Terra, che ci manda segnali che fingiamo di non capire e ci awerte a modo suo dei tanti equilibri che si stanno rompendo. Per soddisfarele mie curiosità e migliorare le mie scarseconoscenze, qualche anno fa partecipai ad un corso di astronomiadella durata di una ventina di giorni. Quella esperienzami ha cambiato la vita, mi ha fatto capire quanto io, essere "arrogante umano e presuntuoso", fossi niente di fronte all'immensità dell'Universo.Fra l'altro, mi ha molto colpito apprendereche esistenel sistema solare, tra Marte e Giove, la fascia degli Asteroidi, composta da miliardi di pianetini (gli Asteroidi), grandi e piccoli frammenti di roccia e metallo, rimasti a vagareorbitando intomo al Sole, dai tempi della formazione del sistemasolare. Come tutti i pianeti, si sono formati, nello stessotempo e con la stessamateria, insieme al Sole, che pure stava nascendocirca quattro miliardi e mezzo di anni fa. Alcuni di questi frammenti collidendo tra loro o per altre causenon sempre accertate,escono dalla fascia degli Asteroidi ed intersecanole orbite dei pianeti intemi, venendo catturati dalla loro forzadi gravità. Quando entrano nell'atmo- sfera terrestre questemeteore si riscaldano per attrito con l'aria e si incendiano (stelle cadenti); molte si annientanoper combustione, o si polverizzano. Quelle che arrivano sulla Terra prendono il nome di meteoriti. Pare che ogni anno arriv- ino sulla Terra diverse migliaia di meteoriti pesanti oltre il chilo e fra questeun centinaio superanoil quintale. La maggior parte di esse,per fortuna, cadono nei 129 o mari che ricoprono \ % del pianeta, o in zone disabitate come i deserti l'Antartide. Pér lo più non lasciano alcuna ttaccia. Solo pochissime vengono notate e studiate dall'Uomo. Mi risultano note e catalogateoltre 30.000 meteori- grandi ti (Russel et al., 2005), costituiteda rocce,metalli od entrambi.Le più meteoriti conosciute sono elencatenella tabella 1. Le meteoriti vengono catalo- gate col nome della zona di ritrovamento dalla Meteoritical Society, massimo írguno competentea livello mondiale. Le grossemeteoriti si muovono così velo- piccole cernenteda scavare grandi crateri a seguito del loro impatto, ma le più sulla superficie terrestre senza creare danni o effetti vistosi. Il cratere arrivano "Meteor meteoritico più famoso e meglio conservato è il crater" dell'Arizona, largo 1200À e profondo circà 200 m. Questocratere si formò circa 50.000anni stimato di oltre 60 m che cadde sulla fa ier una meteórite metallica del diametro teia aduna velocità di circa 15 Km/s, liberandoun'energia equivalente all'es- plosione di un ordigno nucleare di 20 Megaton' ba allora uno dei miei più grandi desideri è stato quello di imbattermi in una copertura vegetale meteorite. Qui da noi è quasi impossibile trovarne; la impedisce di vederle ed è difficile riconoscerletra i sassicomuni, continuamente rimossi dalle alluvioni e dai cambiamenti che l'uomo attua sulla superficie ter- restre. 1. Meteoriti ferrose: (Kg) Nome Ritrovamento Classe Peso Hoba Namibia t920 Atassite 60.000 Campodel Cielo Argentina 1990 Ottaedrite 37.000 CapeYork (Ahnighito) Groenlandia 1894 Ottaedrite 3i.000 Armanty Cina I 898 Ottaedrite 23.500 Bacubirito Messico 1863 Ottaedrite 22.000 CapeYork (Agpalilik) Groenlandia 1963 Ottaedrite 20.000 Mbosi Tanzan\a 1930 Ottaedrite 16.000 Campodel Cielo Argentina t576 Ottaedrite 15.000 Willamette U.S.A. 1902 Ottaedrite 14.900 Chupaderos Messico 1854 Ottaedrite 14.100 Mundrabilla Australia 1911 Ottaedrite 12.000 Morito Messico 1600 Ottaedrite 11.000 130 2. Meteoriti pietrose-ferrose. Nome Ritrovamento Anno Classe Peso(Kg) Huckitta Australia 1937 Pallasite 1.400 Krasnojarsk Russia r749 Pallasite 700 Brenham U.S.A. t947 Pallasite 450 3. Meteoriti pietrose Nome Ritrovamento Aruro Classe Peso(Kg) Jilin Cina t976 Condrite 1.770 Norton County U.S.A. t948 Acondrite 1.073 Long Island U.S.A. l89l Condrite 564 Paragould U.S.A. 1930 Condrite 371 Bjurbole Finlandia 1899 Condrite 330 Tabella 1 Le più grandi meteoriti conosciute (dati da CrIluu-t-Aro, 2005) Certamentesarebbe più facile trovarle nei deserti, aridi, infiniti ed intatti da mil- lenni, anche perché le meteoriti sono conservatebene dal clima secco che ne impediscel'ossidazione. Da alcuni anni si stannotrovando numerosemeteoriti soprattutto nelf inesplorata Antartider. La difficoltà di trovarle in Italia è dimostrata dal fatto che dal 1500 ad oggi ne sono state trovate e studiate dagli specialisti poco più di una quarantina (Tabella 2). Questo materiale extraterrestreè molto importante perché contiene i materiali originali, i "primi mattoni" da cui hanno avuto origine i pianeti, portandoci una "la testimonianza tangibile di quell'epoca. Esso rappresenta memoria dell'Universo". All'intemo delle meteoriti sono generalmentecontenute delle piccole sfere silicee, che qualcuno interpreta come i granuli della nebulosa o'presolare"fusi prima che si formasseI'asteroide generatore, risalenti ad un'e- poca anteriore alla formazione del Sole e dei pianeti, quandonello spazio esiste- "condri", va solo una nuvola immensa di "granellini" primordiali, chiamati di "condriti", "prime cui sono formate le meteoriti più interessanti,le le gocce del mondo". Affascinato dalle molte letture non ho smessodi documentarmi su quelli che io I Negli ultimi decenni il maggior numero di nuove meteoriti raccolte e studiate proviene dall'Antartide, con- tinente finora praticamente inesplorato. RussEL et al. (2005) nella lista dei ritrovamenti degli ultimi decenni, elencano 1010 meteoriti dall'Antartide su un totale mondiale di 1768. 131 (Kg) Luogo Data Classe Massa Nami (Temi) 92rd.c. Condrite Rivolta d'Adda (Cremona) 22.rrr.l49r Aerolite Valdinoce (Forlì) 26.r.1497 Aerolite 15 Castrovillari (Cosenza) 9.I.1583 Aerolite 136+ 9l Vago (Verona) 21.Vr.1668 Condrite z Albareto (Modena) 15.VII.1766 Condrite CastelnuovoBerardenga (Siena) t7.Y.r79r Condríte <3,5 Siena t6.vr.1794 Condrite <1 Fidenza (Parma) 19.IV.1808 10 Renazzo (Ferrara) 15.r.1824 Condrite Mineo (Catania) .v.1826 Pallasite 9 Trenzano (Brescia) t2.xl.1826 Condrite 5 Cereseto(Alessandria) l7.vII.l840 Condrite 5 Monte Milone (Macerata) 8.V.1846 Condrite 14,5 Agrigento 10.II.1853 Condrite 0,3-l Alessandria 2.rr.1860 Condrite <6 Motta dei Conti (Vercelli) 29.rI.1868 Condrite 3,4 Orvinio (Rieti) 31.Vm.1872 Condrite 228 Alfianello (Brescia) 16.rr.1883 Condrite 2 Assisi (Perugia) 24.V.1886 Condrite 5 Collescipoli (Terni) 3.rr.1890 Condrite 9,13+ 0,9 Yaldinizza (Pavia) 12.VII.1903 Condrite 4,5+ 11,5 Vigarano (Ferrara) 22.r.r910 Condrite Patti (Messina) t922 Siderite 56 Barcis (Pordenone) 1950 Pallasite 2,4 Messina 16.vII.1955 Condrite z Sinnai (Cagliari) 19.II.1956 Condrite 0,86 Barbianello (Pavia) 1960-61 Atassite 48 Bagnone (Massa Carrara) 1967 Siderite 1{ Masua (Cagliari) 1967 Siderite 0,013 Piancaldoli (Firenze) l0.VIII.1968 Condrite 0,667 Umbria r970 Siderite 0,2 Noventa Vicentina (Vicenza) 12.v.l97r Condrite 0,8 Torino 18.V.1988 Condrite 0,2 Argentera (Cuneo) VIII.1995 Condrite 10,2 Fermo (Ascoli Piceno) 2s.1X.1996 Condrite 0,048 Lido di Yenezia 11.IV.1999 Condrite 0,072 Tesserale2(Venezia) 1999r Condrite 0,041 Tessera3 (Venezia) 20.II.2000 Condrite 0,031 Mareson di Zoldo (Belluno) 26.rÍr.2000 Condrite 0,022 Piave (Veneto) 21.r.200r Condrite 0,120 Castenaso(Bologna) 15.VII.2003 Condrite 2005) Tabella2- Le principali meteoriti italiane (dati da Curxnluuo, IJL T È o I o tîi <r 1,. lrl, _È F, .3 o, ssiit I ! {€5 o ì =É i I È EgÉÉ € s ;:iÉ É o ^ -"Q=6 3E#Él o = 9J- 2 <i rd 6 ÉnàÉ 9t s gra* E#Éàl Zl s.i€€fll o E:'iESciEi€g i É:. FE".jPEgÈ{=$ E o sÉàg;EtFi!E I R"'eÉ E t'q:tÈ;'É ? :;gEsl lrl: Ee;;SIl F, : É.t9Etl d'i* EO* E<l ÈsÉ:CÈÈ?E l éBF is5s16;g E É, EeeItl o 1t;EEs-sgtÈ?i * EtÈ:E I z EEiiBìtè*fs E €il5c I z o 72e.ÉsE!òE1r.+ aa q =.ì6 =ÉEÈ€ÈÈÈE F#BEEI 2.2 gi; È:ÈÈE;E;s l.gsYcEI -9 l;€sÉÈ| xÉFs EÉÈ Ea!€gcEB É z2 Só $IEFÉSI à9 xì- *j;?g!F >i < lssEE;I aa- z1 Èg o; E"€3Ét z.a ùe 9T ; F gEgg IÉ:E:EI +È u o8 3 :.É5:. i,, E Éx i:ÈÉz rP È _É i 33 E ù=úa HX IE?€;ÈI E&o q ' .EÉÉ ú.2 ..; q b lÈi53il EÉ I éi:É l!-E€E€l 3'*H= =p6 l<Èay5l zú z ra*1 o Yq F9l #:ÉE xaÈ <;3t'ìt t. ldaBe'cZ ó3i É5::€€ I d Z:1 <E Z=aÉ, d troQ t ?69 q) u@Ca ÉaE fig t lsàH <É =É 133 "frammenti chiamo di stelleo lacrime del cielo". Per documentarmisulle mete- oriti sono andato per Musei, dove ho avuto talvolta l'opportunità di toccarle e prenderle in mano. Nelle mie gite ed escursioni entomologiche avevo sempre con me il minimo indispensabile per cercarle, ma trovavo solamente minerali contenenti ferro, scheggedi bombe ed altro ancora,mai quello che tanto deside- ravo. Poi un giorno il destino ha voluto premiare la mia costanza. Non ci pensavoproprio; era il 15 luglio 2003, mi trovavo a castenasoin loca- lità Madonna, per una passeggiataassieme a due amici.
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