Paper: The Semi-Weekly Landmark City: Statesville, North Carolina Date: Tuesday, February 17, 1908 Page: 4 (of 4)
A Meteorite Supposed to Be a Piece of a Comet's Tail Washington Dispatch, 8th. A remarkable meteorite weighing 330 pounds, arrived at the National Museum yesterday. This stone was recently found on a farm in Christian county, Kentucky. A member of the geological Survey who was sent to verify its genuineness says that the rock contains combinations of elements that never could have come into existence on the earth. In addition to this fact, while the meteorite measures barely a foot and a half in length or breadth, it is so heavy that it took several men to carry it. Scientists believe it was dropped from the tail of a comet passing within the earth's orbit, and they consider it a wonderful specimen, because, they say, at least three fourths of the falling meteorites are consumed in the atmosphere before reaching the earth's surface, or are broken in fragments. In appearance the rock is very rough, being covered with granules held together by metallic cement. It is mainly made up of the iron, characteristic only of ultra terrestrial object. It also contains a substance called lawrencite, which oxidizes so rapidly in this atmosphere that it cannot be perceived after a few moments' exposure. This is considered additional proof that the stone at one time belonged to a body in the solar system, where atmospheric conditions differ from those of the earth. This particular meteorite is called Pallasite, after a similar one found in Siberia in 1700. The curator purposes to cut the new exhibit in half and polish one side of it, that visitors may have an opportunity to see the peculiar elements which compose it. (end) ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list