> Just another thought. I was under naive understanding that meteorites > did not burn hot to the touch, upon falling and could be picked right > up, as in stories I read during the PF strewnfield incident and others?
Most meteorites will have cooled off by the time they reach the ground, though in a few instances they still may be warm to the touch. They are not hot enough to ignite fires upon impact. Also, meteorites may get hot after they have landed if they are sitting out in the open sun during a hot day (ie: Portales Valley). > Do they rapidly cool after initial impact ? They cool off in their free fall to the ground. >Also, why, in the case of > the "Columbia" retrieval, were people warned not to touch fragments, as > they were hazardous? Could someone enlighten me? Columbia carried chemicals from its science experiments and rocket propellant, which may have contaminated some of the debris that made it to the ground. Ron Baalke ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
