Mark is very correct. If you look up in a minerals book (my favorite is the Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals), you can look up the specific density of different minerals. This is expressed in relation to water, quartz is 2.5 times heavier than water, most gemstones, 3 times, Gold...19 to 21 times heavier than an equal volume of water. Rocks, as are meteorites are made up of different combinations of minerals. With that in mind, it is sort of like trying to standardize the weight of chicken soup..each batch will vary in its density depending on the specific ingredients. More carrots and less water, more chicken, less noodles all will vary the weight. An iron or iron/nickel rich meteorite will be much more dense than a carbonaceous chondrite. Breccia's would vary a great deal as well, I would think. The difference in one end of a specific portales would vary greatly from the end of a different portales, depending on silica and iron mixes.
Time for dinner,
Dave Freeman
(who is having chicken soup!)
mafer wrote:
Hello Tom and list
Calculating the density of a meteorite will only tell you the density of that meteorite, not what its components are. Most rock types are specified as to specific gravity, but thats for a pure element, not a composite like a meteorite or even granite. And thats because a meteorite is made up of many elements and even the irons will give a density calculation which isn't for iron or nickel. Hope this helps somewhat. But its going to leave you asking more questions, so think on. Mark ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom aka James Knudson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: meteorite-list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, March 24, 2003 2:19 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] density????
Hello List, is there anyone out there that can tell me how to calculate density of meteorites or rocks? Thanks, Tom The proudest member of the IMCA 6168
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