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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

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Meteorite-Times Magazine Novo Urei: The Stuff of Legends! by Martin Horejsi Like

A September 1886 Witnessed Fall: Novo Urei, Russia

Novo Urei: The Stuff of Legends! Putting the Urei in Ureilite and the Muf f in Hypothesis

Novo Urei is t ruly t he st uf f of legends. Long bef ore I knew t he specif ic det ails of it s f all and subsequent scient if ic discoveries about it , I’d heard t ales about an amazing met eorit e f all f ull of unf orget t able event s. Turns out , many of t he st ories were f rom t he f all and recovery of t he Novo Urei met eorit e. As an owner of a import ant piece of ureilit ic hist ory, I t ake t he Novo Urei st ories personally and want t hem connect ed direct ly t o Novo Urei inst ead of some generic met eorit e somewhere. Met eorit es are collect ed f or bot h t heir science and t heir st ories so it is a special t reat when one of t he most int erest ing met eorit es ever also carries wit h it t ruly legendary t ales surrounding it s f all. I don’t use t he word “legendary” light ly. As a brief t est f or t he legendary st at us of a met eorit e, I made up t his list of required crit eria: 1) T here can be no living wit nesses t o t he event . 2) Part s of t he met eorit e’s st ory are known by many, but not always associat ed wit h t he part icular

f all. 3) T he st ory about t he met eorit e is regularly exaggerat ed or embellished. 4) T he st ory about t he f all or t he science becomes a non-specif ic generic example of such an event . 5) T he met eorit e becomes a “t ype specimen” f or a classic st ory. 6) A nickname, st at ement or import ant f act of t en leads or immediat ely f ollows t he name of t he met eorit e when it ent ers a discussion, or is up f or auct ion or exchange. Ot her st ones t hat I believe qualif y as Legendary include Ensisheim, Orgueil and West on. I expect Murchison will become Legendary in 2069, and Park Forest in 2103.

Novo Urei has t he classic look of a f resh ureilit e. As it should since Novo Urei is t he t ype specimen f or t he class and t hus put t he Urei in Ureilit e! Most collect ors have heard or read t he f ollowing about a met eorit e t hat … -Caused peasant s t o f all t o t he ground in f ear; -T hunderbolt s were f alling f rom t he sky; -T he st one was f illed wit h diamonds; -T he met eorit e was eat en right af t er it f ell; -T he st one was smashed and eat en; -T he st one was f ull of diamonds and was eat en; -T he met eorit e landed in a swamp; -Two of t he t hree f allen st ones were lost .

Years ago when I had t he opport unit y t o phot ograph many of t he amazing but undisplayed pieces in t he Smit hsonianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collect ion, Novo Urei was on my list . T he image above is t he specimen in t heir collect ion. I believe t his sample weighs more t han 50 grams. According t o an 1886 report by a t eacher f rom Kirensk Cit y named P.I. Baryshnikov, t he event s of t he f all of Novo Urei were as f ollows: In t he morning several peasant s plowed t heir f ield 3 km f rom a village. T he day was gloomy, t he whole nort heast ern sky was covered by clouds. Suddenly a light appeared all around. In several seconds a st rong report was heard, like a cannon or explosion. T hen came a second, louder noise. Wit h a loud noise a f ireball f ell t o Eart h a f ew met ers f rom t he peasant s. Fright ened, t hey did not know what t o do. T hey f ell t o t he ground and could not move f or a long t ime. T hey t hought it was a st rong t hunderst orm, and t hat t hunderbolt s were f alling f rom t he sky. Finally, one of t hem, more brave, came t o t he place where t he t hunderbolt had f allen, and t o his surprise f ound only a shallow hole. In t he middle of t he hole a black st one lay half -buried in t he soil.

T he slicing of a ureilit e is no simple t ask. As you know diamonds are hard, and of t en as hard as t he blades used t o cut t hese t hings. As wit h most rock cut t ing, t he rock is not really cut per se, but inst ead a gash is ground int o t he st one result ing in t o t wo or more separat e pieces. Because of t he ext reme hardness of ureilit es, t hey put up quit e a f ight wit h expensive saw blades. Luckily most people never have t o cut one. T he image above shows t he precision of t he cut result ing in a very clean 90 degree corner. Usually once cut , t he prep ends since polishing a ureilit e does not of t en bring out much det ail and requires anot her serious ef f ort t hat is bot h hard on man and machine. Harry McSween, in his book Met eorit es and T heir Parent Planet s (1999), wrot e t he f ollowing: “On a September morning in 1886, several meteorites f ell near the village of Novo Urei in the Krasnoslobodsk district of Russia. T his was a particularly interesting f all f or several reasons. One of the stones was soon recovered by local peasants, where- upon it was broken apart and eaten. T he mot ivat ion f or t his rat her unusual act ion is not known, but t his const it ut ed an impressive f eat f rom a dent al perspect ive, because t he met eorit e cont ained numerous small diamonds. T he uneat en specimens f rom t his f all proved t o be a unique t ype of achondrit e; subsequent ly recovered met eorit es of t his class are known as ureilit es.” —– “T he ureilit es are arguably t he most bizarre and perplexing of all met eorit es.” —– “It seems likely t hat t he ureilit e parent body had a carbonaceous chondrit e composit ion. T he addit ion of a small amount of basalt (presumably ext ract ed f rom t hese residues) t o ureilit es can produce a rock wit h t he composit ion of carbonaceous chondrit e.”

—– “One of t he most int erest ing charact erist ics of ureilit es (aside f rom t heir possible t ast iness) is t hat t hey have experienced variable but t ypically int ense shock met amorphism. In many specimens, graphit e, t he original carbon mineral, has been part ly t ransf ormed by shock int o it s polymorphs, diamond and londsdalit e (polymorphs have t he same composit ion but dif f erent cryst al st ruct ures). Shock has also dist urbed t he isot opic clocks in ureilit es. T he olivine and pyroxene assemblage appears t o have f ormed 4.5 billion years ago, but some some radiogenic isot opes were redist ribut ed at 4.0 billion years ago.”

My Muf f in Hypothesis assumes t hat t he individual of Novo Urei t hat was broken apart and eat en was act ually a small highly orient ed individual t hat not only resembled a muf f in or cupcake, but also, due t o it s carbonaceous chondrit e ancest ry, of f ered t he f inders a peasant or f amiliar aroma of some sort . Over t he years, when cont emplat ing why anyone would eat a f reshly f allen met eorit e, let alone a one f illed wit h diamonds it has been speculat ed t hat t he met eorit e may have smelled good, or was shaped like a loaf of bread. When I f irst read t hose supposit ions I joked in my mind t hat if t he peasant s could mist ake a cinder-black diamond-hard rock t hat f ell f rom t he sky f or a loaf of bread, t hen t here are big problems wit h eit her t he local baker or t he peasant ’s drinking wat er. Imagine t he dialog: Nikita: Hey Vladimir, check out t his delicious looking piece of bread t hat just f ell f rom t he sky. Vladimir: Looks a lit t le well-done f or my t ast es. But it smells good like Grandpa’s vodka. Nikita: Drat ! My knif e blade broke. Vladimir: Maybe we can smash t he bread apart on t his rock. Nikita: Or t ake it t o t he blacksmit h. He has a big hammer.

CRASH! Vladimir: Mmmm. It ’s st ill warm in t he middle. Nikita: I t hink it ’s kind of dry. Maybe needs some but t er? Vladimir: Tast es moist and salt y t o me. Anastasiya: What are you idiot s eat ing? You look like vampires wit h blood dripping out of your mout hs! But in t he int erest of science, I pursued it in my mind during a long t rail run. My conclusion snapped int o f ocus when I considered t he 158g dif f erence bet ween t he list ed T KWs of Novo Urei by t he Russian Academy of Science and t he Cat alogue of Met eorit es. A 158g met eorit e is not very large, golf ball sized maybe?. Just by considering a small sized individual made consuming t he st one a more palat able t hought . T hen I added t o t he mix t hat Goalpara was a highly orient ed st one so it is conceivable t hat an orient ed st one wit h an exaggerat ed rollback rim, dist inct clean lipping, t hick f rost ing-like f lowlines, and a t railing f ace wit h a f lat surf ace could make st one met eorit e mimic a muf f in’s look quit e well. Smells are of t en associat ed wit h f reshly f allen met eorit es, f rom sweet t o sulf urous. T he carbonaceous chondrit e named Murchison is t he post er child f or st inky met eorit es having of f ended t he olf act ory senses of many resident s of t he small Aust ralian t own in which it f ell. Ureilit es are relat ed t o carbonaceous chondrit es so a smelly, possibly pleasant ly so, muf f in-like small black st one is act ually a reasonable possibilit y. So how would such a muf f in f all f rom t he sky? It ’s a st ret ch, but imagine a bakery exploding. I’m not sure what t he bakers in t he Respublika Mordoviya of Russia used t o heat t heir ovens in 1886, presumably wood, but a vat of somet hing or ot her could blowup. Or more reasonably, imagine a disgrunt led shopper wit h f reshly broken t oot h t hrowing t he st onelike muf f in in a f it of rage where it landed at t he f eet of hungry f ield workers. Formally, T he Muf f in Hypothesis st at es t hat one individual of t he Novo Urei met eorit e was except ionally orient ed resembling a past ry like a muf f in, it emit t ed an odor adding t o t he disguise, and was small enough (~158g) when broken apart , t he “crumbs” could be easily eat en wit hout t he dent al damage imagined if t he peasant s bit int o t he met eorit e as if it were an apple. My conclusion, t heref ore, support s t he need t o dredge t he cont ent s of t hose out houses nearby t he f all sit e t hat were act ive during t he f ew days af t er t he f all. Unless it was common f or t he local resident s t o eat rocks, t he st rat ographic layer under t he out house corresponding t o t he appropriat e t imef rame should be relat ively f ree f rom rocks except f or t hose of int erest .

Pict ured above is t he polished f ace of a sample of Goalpara, a ureilit e t hat was discovered (f ell?) in 1868 in India. While I cert ainly enjoy t he polished f ace and appreciat e t he work t hat went int o such prep, t his really is not , in my opinion, a dramat ic improvement over a rough cut f ace. However, under magnif icat ion, it is a dif f erent st ory alt oget her. Novo Urei was t he f irst met eorit e in which diamonds were f ound. T he discovery of diamonds was made by t he Russian scient ist s Erof eev and Lachinov in 1888, only t wo years af t er it s f all. Alt hough Novo Urei, and all ot her f resh ureilit es require a learned appreciat ion f or t heir surf ace f eat ures, in t hin sect ion, t hey are an ent irely dif f erent world. To quot e Nort on and Chit wood (2008): â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under room light ing, cut slabs appear dark and opaque and just plain unint erest ing. T hin sect ions of ureilit es seen in cross-polarized light , however, show a spect acular color f ield of olivine and pigeonit e in various cryst al orient at ions. T hese ugly ducklings of t he achondrit es are some of t he most beaut if ul of t he ast eroidal achondrit es.â&#x20AC;?

Due t o t he dark mat rix of a ureilit e, t he f usion crust is generally more apparent t hough it s t ext ure t han it s cont rast . T he above image shows t he brief est appearance of crust on my slice of Novo Urei. T he phot ograph below shows t he wonderf ul, very durable crust on my end sect ion of Goalpara,

Novo-Urei has been on my wish list f or as long as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a wish list . I guess you could say Novo Urei was my wish list . I remember once seeing a t iny piece of Novo Urei on ebay. It was about half a gram in mass and t he bidding st art ed at $250. I hesit at ed and lost it . Figuring t hat more would show up, I f irst cont act ed t he seller only t o learn t hat t here was no more available. T hat loss never lef t me. I knew t here was a gaping hole in my collect ion t hat only Novo Urei could f ill.

As t hey say (and who is ‘t hey’ anyway?) beaut y is in t he eye of t he beholder. Such is t rue f or t he Ureilit es and in t his case, Novo Urei is a world class supermodel at whom I cannot st op gawking. T here is not hing about t his met eorit e t hat is average. T here is not hing mundane, and t here is not hing ordinary. Novo Urei is except ional across t he board f rom any direct ion, f rom any perspect ive. It is an amazing sample of our solar syst em, of our int eract ion wit h such mat erial, and of how t he f ield of science and f olklore can change f orever due t o one specif ic t hunderst one. While Novo Urei was not t he f irst ureilit e t o f all (or I guess it was due t o semant ics), it is t he t ype specimen f or t he class called ureilit es. Way back last cent ury when I f irst learned about ureilit es, I, like many, assumed t he class was named f or Harold Urey, a f amous American cosmochemist . It was a underst andable mist ake given t hat howardit es are named f or Edward Howard, a Brit ish chemist , and diogenit es were named af t er t he ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes of Apollonia . I wrot e an Accret ion Desk column about Harold Urey and ureilit es back in 2004. T he Met eorit ical Bullet in list s t he t ot al known weight of Novo Urei as 1900g, while t he Russian Laborat ory of Met eorit ics list s t he t ot al mass of t he t hree st ones as 2058g. Regardless of t he 158g dif f erence, it is t he f all dat e, class, t ype specimen, diamonds, and T KW t hat makes Novo Urei one of t he most dif f icult st ones of any f lavor t o add t o one’s collect ion. T he worldwide dist ribut ion of Novo Urei, according t o t he Cat alogue of Met eorit es, is as f ollows: T he main mass is list ed as in Museum Mining Inst it ut e in Leningrad. T he world’s second largest piece, list ed at 481.3 grams, is in t he Academy of Sciences in Moscow . T heir 460 piece is pict ured here. T he Smit hsonian’s USNM holds 83g, and 55g are in t he Nat ural Hist ory Museum in Vienna. T he Field Museum in Chicago claims 36g, and 34g are in t he Museum of Nat ural Hist ory in Paris. T he American AMNH in New York holds 10g, Berlin claims 4.1g, and t he last ent ry over one gram is 1.9g in t he Vat ican Collect ion. T here are only six ureilit es wit nessed t o f all. T he f irst was Dyalpur, a single 280g st one t hat arrived 14 years bef ore Novo Urei. T he remaining f our are Lahrauli, a 900g st one t hat landed in India in 1955; Haverö, a 1971 Finnish f all of 1544g; Jalanash, a 700g st one t hat dropped in

Mongolia in 1990; and Almahat a Sit t a, a 2008 heavily witnessed f all of 3.95kg of f ragment s. Even including t he recent f all of t he anomalous ureilit e Almahat a Sit t a, t he global t ot al weight of all wit nessed f alls of ureilit es t ot als only about 9.6kg. St ill short of an arbit rary 10kg t hreshold. Compare t hat t o t he rare aubrit es of which t here are nine wit nessed f alls and of t hose, f our have personal T KWs great er t han t he combined sum of all ureilit e f alls (wit h one aubrit e f all alone 100 t imes as much), and only t wo of t he nine aubrit e f alls have T KWs less t han t he ureilit ic heavyweight Novo Urei. It s obvious t hat t he collect ing air is quit e rarif ied when playing wit h t hese st ones, and t he prices and t rade values mat ch. In my opinion, wit nessed f all ureilit es rub shoulders in collect ing circles wit h t he SNC namesakes and carbonaceous chondrit e f alls of t he 1800s.

Not all specimen cards are creat ed equally. When it comes t o clout , aut hent icit y and import ance, f ew can challenge t he Russian Academy of Sciences cards. T his card chaperoned Novo Urei int o my collect ion and is what should be expect ed when such mat erial changes hands. Alt hough t he cardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s t ext is a lit t le t hin compared t o my ot her Academy cards (Pesyanoe, Chervony Kut ), and t he handwrit ing is not as elegant , t his card is many decades younger t han my ot hers and is more ut ilit arian in it s use. As most obsessive and compulsive collect ors of met eorit es know, t he t hrill of t he hunt and t he gamble of negot iat ion t hat hopef ully leads t o capt ure generat es t he personal st ories t hat f uel t he collect ing drive. When t he DHL man handed me t he package t hat t hat had been keeping me up at night , it was a bit t ersweet moment . T he excit ement of a very long sought af t er Novo Urei specimen was t empered by an empt y wish list . Sure, t here are ot her specimens I want , but t he quest f or Novo Urei lit erally def ined my collect ion wish list , and I had never really t hought much beyond it . For a while it even f elt t hat Novo Urei was an unint ent ional capst one of my collect ion.

But t here is always more. Soon my hunt ing inst inct s were back at work, t he glow of Novo Urei f ading away. And t here was anot her legendary small st one t hat f ell in 1812 clamoring f or at t ent ion. An even older and smaller T KW met eorit e whose journey was deeply ent wined in conf lict , music, and nat ional pride. But t hat â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anot her Sept ember st ory. Unt il next t imeâ&#x20AC;Ś. T he Accretion Desk welcomes all comments and f eedback. accretiondesk@gmail.com Please Share and Enjoy:

Meteorite-Times Magazine The End of Summer by Jim Tobin Like

As we near t he end of summer it is always t ime f or Paul and I t o plan t he f irst t rip t o t he cooler aut umn desert . And we have begun t hat process. We do not know where we are going but we have picked t he dat e and put in f or t he t ime of f f rom work. We have spent big port ions of most of our vacat ion in Oct ober doing met eorit e hunt ing f or many years. T his year we are t hinking about more ast ronomy and ast rophot ography and some met eorit e hunt ing . So I have t o get my t elescope out and get it ready t o go. I have a new camera adapt er made f or it so I can do some lunar phot ography. I have been it ching t o do a good bat ch of digit al phot os of t he moon f or years and have never hauled t he scope t o t he back yard, so wit h no excuses on vacat ion I t hink t his is t he t ime. We can not get a t ime window of moonless sky t his year so deep sky is out during most of t he night s, making moon and planet phot ography our best choices. We have t o f igure out where t o go st ill and t hat is a mult if acet ed problem. We need it t o be dark, it would be great if is was a st rewnf ield or at least a good searching surf ace where we go. And if we could have power at a campsit e t hat would be really good since running t he generat or is not what we like t o do f or hours and hours. On a dif f erent t opic but not a new one. I have got t en anot her scale. In my ongoing quest t o have precision lab scales f or every weight range I have ended up wit h many in every weight range. But , I f ound one last mont h at t he swap meet t hat was very nice and not like most of my ot hers. It is a f airly t ypical Met t ler design, but somewhat dif f erent . It is also in t he 0.01 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 800 gram range. It needed a lit t le work. I was conf ident t hat I could f ix it however, since it had a calibrat ion st icker on it f rom only a year and a half ago. T he illuminat or bulb was not aligned properly as a result not hing showed on t he f ront screen. T hat t ook some caref ul adjust ing t o get just right . And it needed a new power cord. Of course t he calibrat ed weight s were laying all over t he bot t om and needed t o be ret rieved. But , in about and hour t he $15 scale was up and working and it is as t he accompanying phot o shows very accurat e. It has about 0.05 grams of error at t he t op of any range and is accurat e beyond my abilit y t o see at t he bot t om end of each 100 gram range. For t hose not f amiliar wit h t hese t ype of laborat ory scales t hey have int ernal calibrat ed weight s t hat are lif t ed and dropped by t he t urning of a knob connect ed t o cams and levers inside t he scale. It act s just t he same as you would wit h ext ernal precision weight place on one side of a balance scale. But , you never have t o handle t he weight s since t hey are select able and inside.

I did not need anot her scale but f or $15 what am I going t o do. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just pass it by. I had way more t hen $15 wort h of f un f ixing it and learning about how it worked. I have been a t inker most of my lif e. Wat ches, clocks, now scales, anyt hing t hat is complicat ed and made wit h small precision part s has always f ascinat ed me. T he great side benef it of my scale collect ing is t hat I can get t ruly close weight s on all my met eorit es using some really cool old and ant ique scales. I carry a digit al scale around wit h me at Tucson and it is a f ine way t o know what I am paying f or NWA met eorit es. But , it lacks any kind of

charm or st yle t o me, it is just a device. I have come t o really like a f ew of my lab scales. I have sold a f ew as well. Not because t hey did not work or I did not like t hem. T hey were t oo sensit ive. One, a Met t ler t hat came out of NASA was so sensit ive t hat I could not get readings f rom it in t he house wit h people walking. It needed a st one t able in direct cont act wit h t he ground t o keep it st eady. T hat was a commit ment I was not willing t o make. And t he Christ ian Becker scales went away right af t er I repaired t hem. I t hought I was get t ing old wat ching and wait ing f or t hem t o set t le out and give me a reading. I know I have writ t en some of t his bef ore, but a phase of my lif e is coming t o an end. T he t echnology swap meet t hat I go t o once a mont h is going t o be at a t ime t hat I will be working soon. My schedule at work is changing and I will not be able t o go and see if t here are scales or ot her cool t hings t o buy. For over t went y years I have gone on t he last Sat urday t o t hat swap meet and now I can not . So t his Met t le will probably be t he last scale I will get f or maybe f orever. As met eorit es become more valuable and exot ic t ypes available and collect able knowing t he weight t o great accuracy will remain very import ant t o bot h met eorit e dealers and collect ors. A t ent h of a gram just is not going t o cut it as it did wit h chondrit es t hirt y years ago. Now f or my advert isement . My book on Meteor Crater is always available at ht t p://www.met eorit es-f or-sale.com/cat alog/met eorit e-books.ht ml in f act some copies of t he older book are also t here f or sale. And my book on lapidary work â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Cutting and Preparing of Meteoritesâ&#x20AC;? is always available f rom me at jim@met eorit e.com Till next mont h, Jim Please Share and Enjoy:

Meteorite-Times Magazine Meteorite Market Trends by Michael Blood Like

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This Monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Meteorite Market Trends

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Meteorite-Times Magazine Planetary Body Odors by Robert Verish Like

Planetary Body Odors A smell emanating f rom a Norton County meteorite gives this author some idea how an asteroid would smell if it had an atmosphere.

T his has t o be one of my more unusual “Findings”! T his “f inding” involves t he smell of a met eorit e, which I’m discovering is a very dif f icult subject t o writ e about and explain. Cert ainly can’t rely on images t o help explain how my met eorit e smells. But , if I am right , t his “met eorit e-smell” is what I believe an ast eroid would smell like, if you were able t o envelope t he parent -body in an oxygen at mosphere. T he image above depict s one of my specimens of t he Nort on Count y (Aubrit e), a f ragment al impact -brecciat ed enst at it e achondrit e. T his image also depict s t he plast ic bag which cont ained t his met eorit e specimen ever since it was f irst ext ract ed f rom one of t he large masses of Nort on Count y by researchers at Universit y of New Mexico (UNM). All of t he f ollowing images are of t his same specimen.

“Click” t he above image t o ENLARGE!! It is t his specimen, as well as, ot her similar-looking samples t hat are cont ained in similar sample bags, t hat appear t o be giving of f a peculiar odor. T hese plast ic sample bags seem t o have preserved what ever is producing t he smell emanat ing f rom t he met eorit e specimens. T his odor has been accumulat ing in t hese plast ice bags undist urbed f or what I have been t old is “many years”!

Alt hough t he geneology is st ill somewhat sket chy f or t his f ragment , it is clear t hat t his sample was bagged & t agged by UNM Inst it ut e of Met eorit ics personnel immediat ely af t er it was ext ract ed f rom a large mass of t he Nort on Count y met eorit e. T hey labeled t he bag wit h a “Nort on Count y N.15969″ cat alog number, which can be f ound on-line on t he UNM websit e f or “Inst it ut e of Met eorit ics (IOM) Met eorit e Cat alog – Specimen Query Result s f or NORT ON COUNT Y (Found 18 February 1948) Kansas, USA.

“Click” t he above image t o ENLARGE!! T he smell t hat is being given of f by t his met eorit e is hard t o describe. When I f irst smelt it , I t ried t o t hink of t he proper words t o describe t he odor. I t ried t o t hink of t hings t hat had a similar smell: like hot met al, or like a cast -iron skillet t hat has over-heat ed, or like t he met al f ilament s when you f irst t urn on an elect ric heat er. Also, a lot like when you make sparks by st riking t wo f lint -rocks against each ot her. Maybe a lit t le like ozone, but wit h a more smoky, sulf urous aroma. T hat ’s when t he phrase “burnt gunpowder” came int o my mind. And t hat ’s when I remembered reading t hat t he Apollo ast ronaut s report ed t hat moondust had t he st rong smell of “spent gunpowder”. T hey would not ice t his af t er conduct ing EVA and af t er ret urning t o t he Lunar Lander where t he moondust t hat clung t o t heir space-suit s had apparent ly react ed wit h t he oxygen and moist ure in t he pressurized cabin t o produce t his odor. I say “apparent ly” because t o t his day NASA st ill does not have an adequat e explanat ion f or t his phenomenon. But t o t his very day, ast ronaut s and cosmonaut s st ill remark about t he ozone-like smell t hat lingers on t heir space-suit s af t er ret urning f rom a space-walk out side t he ISS. In f act , an Iranian woman cosmonaut said t hat “space smells like a burnt almond cookie“! (Probably each person would have t heir own, personal descript ion of t his odor.) And NASA is act ually t rying t o recreat e t his odor in order t o t rain and prepare t heir f ut ure lunar ast ronaut s f or when t hey ret urn t o t he Moon!

“Click” t he above image t o ENLARGE!! Alt hough NASA has yet t o provide a proven explanat ion f or how moondust generat ed t his “burnt gunpowder” smell, t hey have proposed a couple int erest ing t heories: One explanat ion is t hat t he Lunar Lander’s oxygen at mosphere lit erally “burns” t he moondust . Because oxygen is very react ive it could act ually chemically bond wit h t he moondust . T his process is not hing more t han oxidat ion, and is t he same t hing as “burning”, but it happens t oo slowly f or smoke or f lames t o be produced, yet t he oxidat ion of moondust might produce an aroma like

“burnt gunpowder”. Anot her explanat ion involves how moondust is act ually f ormed. When met eoroids hit t he moon, t hey reduce rocks t o jagged dust . T his is a process of const ant hammering and smashing (see image below). Over t ime, molecular bonds in t he moondust are broken, producing “dangling bonds” – which are unsat isf ied elect rical connect ions t hat need at omic part ners. When ast ronaut s inhaled moondust , what happened was t hose dangling bonds sought “part ners” in t he moist membranes of t he nose. When t his happened, t he ast ronaut ’s sense of smell would respond by regist ering t his “chemical react ion” t o t he brain as being “a st range odor” .

Moondust is f ormed by pounding; t he “hammers” are met eoroids. Image credit : Prof . Larry Taylor, Universit y of Tennessee. What all of t his has t o do wit h why t here is an odor emanat ing f rom my Nort on Count y specimens is t his: I see a connect ion bet ween – how t he pulverizing of moonrock by met eoroids produces t his odor in moondust – wit h t he brecciat ion and product ion of impact melt in t he parent body of t he Nort on Count y met eorit e! I f ound t hat t his odor was only prevalent in t he most brecciat ed specimens where dark-colored impact melt had inf used wit h t he light -colored breccia clast s of t he enst at it e achondrit e. What t his means is t hat t his odor (along wit h t he brecciat ion) is an ancient record of t he impact event t hat occurred on t hat planet ary body. T his means t hat t hese met eorit e specimens are also samples of t he same odors f rom space t hat , up unt il now, only ast ronaut s were able t o smell. T his is all made possible because of : t he large size of t he individual masses f rom t he Nort on Count y f all, as well as t he prompt recovery of t hese masses f rom t his f all, and more import ant ly t he prompt placement of t he brecciat ed specimens int o plast ic bags. All of t his served t o prot ect t his “odor” and t o minimize it s cont act wit h at mospheric moist ure and oxygen.

“Click” t he above image t o ENLARGE!! I f eel very f ort unat e t o have had t his opport unit y t o “smell space”! I f ound it dif f icult , but I’ve t ried t o convey in words what it is t hat I am personally experiencing when I smell my specimens. But t his experience would be unique f or each person, and probably would be described dif f erent ly and uniquely by each person. Alt hough t his smell emanat ing f rom my Nort on Count y specimens is t he result of t he brecciat ion of an enst at it e achondrit e, I doubt t hat t he pulverized anort hosit e on t he moon has a much dif f erent smell. So, I f eel t hat I now have somet hing in common wit h t he NASA ast ronaut s and can bet t er appreciat e, if not t heir visual and aural, at least t heir nasal experiences while t hey were on t he moon and while t raveling t hru space.

Ref erences:

Carancas impact event – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Locat ion in t he Puno Region in Peru where t he meteorite st ruck.16°39’52?S …. such as a local gas explosion, because meteorites don’t give of f odors.” … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carancas_impact_event

Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter 24,1 – Petrographic Descriptions February 2001 … T he ent ire ext erior surf ace of t his carbonaceous chondrit e is covered wit h t hick black f usion crust wit h polygonal f ract ures. T he int erior is black, eart hy mat erial wit h a sulf urous odor. T his met eorit e has an oxidat ion rind and rust halos. T hin Sect ion (, 4) Descript ion: Tim McCoy; … curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/amn/amnfeb01/petdes.htm

Is The Abee Meteorite A Remnant From Mercury? | Life Info Zone.com Sep 3, 2009 … In f act , if you were t o cut open a piece of Abee meteorite, you would like encount er a smell t hat is like discharged gun powder; … www.lifeinfozone.com/…/is-the-abee- meteorite-a-remnant-from-mercury/

Search Results – for “astronauts smell gunpowder odor” 1. The Mysterious Smell of Moondust – NASA Science Apr 5, 2010 … It ’s not hing like gunpowder . So why t he smell? No one knows. … Apollo astronauts were specif ic. Moondust smells like burnt gunpowder .) … science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at…/30jan_ smellofmoondust/ -

2. The Smell of Moondust | Universe Today Jan 30, 2006 … Apollo astronauts were specif ic. Moondust smells like burnt gunpowder .) Curiously, back on Eart h, moondust has no smell. … www.universetoday.com/11314/the-smell-of-moondust/ – Cached 3. The Mysterious Smell of Moondust Schmit t says, “All of t he Apollo astronauts were used t o handling guns. … It ’s not hing like gunpowder . So why t he smell? No one knows. ISS ast ronaut Don … www.ufodigest.com/moondust.html – Cached – Similar 4. Moon Dust Smells Like Spent Gunpowder Apr 23, 2010 … So t his might produce t his burning gunpowder smell . … Jack Schmit t , an Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist , has t he dist inct ion of being t he … www.todayifoundout.com/…/moon-dust- smells-like-spent- gunpowder / – Cached 5. fired gun shot on the moon? says Apollo – BigFishTackle.Mobi … Apollo astronauts were specif ic. Moondust smells like burnt gunpowder .) Curiously, back on Eart h, moondust has no smell. T here are hundreds of pounds of … www.bigfishtackle.mobi/cgi-bin/bigfish.cgi?post=241370 – Cached 6. The Mysterious Smell of Moondust – Space News – redOrbit Jan 31, 2006 … (Not e: Burnt and unburnt gunpowder do not smell t he same. Apollo astronauts were specif ic. Moondust smells like burnt gunpowder .) … www.redorbit.com/news/space/375271/the…smell_of…/index.html – Cached 7. Space, the final frontier of smells! | Ask MetaFilter Jan 28, 2004 … I’ve read t hat t he Apollo astronauts smelled somet hing f rom moondust : … t he init ial smell, was a smell like gunpowder a lit t le bit . … ask.metafilter.com/4967/Space-the-final-frontier-of- smells – Cached

Get more discussion results 8. Moondust Smells Like Jan 22, 2009 … Snif f it —”it smells like spent gunpowder ,” says Cernan. How do you snif f

moondust ? Every Apollo astronaut did it . T hey couldn’t t ouch t heir … www.docstoc.com › Current Events › Current Affairs – Cached 9. Smell of Gunpowder 6 post s - 6 aut hors - Last post : Sep 9, 2006 I happen t o be in t he group liking t he smell of burnt gunpowder . … where t he aut hor st at ed t hat t he Apollo 11 astronauts were armed. … lofi.forum.physorg.com/ Smell-of- Gunpowder _4813.html – Cached

Get more discussion results 10. Retro Thing: The Scent of Moondust Oct 3, 2006 … Almost 34 years ago, Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan succinct ly summed up t he scent of moondust : “It smells like spent gunpowder . … www.retrothing.com/2006/10/the_smell_of_mo.html – Cached 11. Space – Retro Thing Almost 34 years ago, Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan succinct ly summed up t he scent of moondust : “It smells like spent gunpowder .” It t urns out t hat t he … www.retrothing.com/space/page/2/ – Cached 12. Astronaut describes what space smells like – Boing Boing Feb 20, 2008 … T he smell is probably a combinat ion of st uf f t hat has been out gassed by … One of t he Apollo astronauts (I f orget which one) said t hat when t he … t old is sort of like a mix of gunpowder and alcohol or maybe gasoline. … boingboing.net/2008/02/20/ astronaut-describes.html – Cached – Similar 13. New Mars • View topic – Mars Smells? 11 post s - 5 aut hors - Last post : May 18, 2004 P.S.: Act ually, I always sort of liked t he smell of “spent gunpowder ” f rom a shot gun; it ’s a very unique odor (I used t o accompany my f at her … www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2925 – Cached

Get more discussion results 14. Three Squirrels in a Pressure Cooker » The Smell of our Moon Feb 6, 2006 … “It is really a st rong smell,” radioed Apollo 16 pilot Charlie Duke. “It has t hat t ast e — t o me, [of ] gunpowder — and t he smell of gunpowder , t oo. … Schmit t says, “All of t he Apollo astronauts were used t o handling … www.threesquirrels.com/?p=203 – Cached – Similar 15. Althouse: “Space smells like a ‘burned almond cookie.’” Sep 28, 2006 … I was t hrown f or a minut e, because A. Space would have no smell, at least not one t hat t he human nose could det ect and B. If it … Well, t he Apollo astronauts report ed t hat f resh moon dust smells like burned gunpowder . … althouse.blogspot.com/…/space-smells-like-burned-almond-cookie.html – Cached

16. Sulfur Deposits May Make Mars Stink

While it gives of f an unpleasant odor and can st ir up a headache, … several Apollo astronauts not iced t hey had t racked back int o t heir … t he smell was likened t o wet ashes in a f ireplace, even spent gunpowder f rom a just f ired … www.rense.com/general50/stinks.htm – Cached – Similar

17. Astronaut Says He Wasn’t Prepared for Smell of Space 31 post s - 6 aut hors - Last post : Sep 6, 2009 Re: Astronaut Says He Wasn’t Prepared f or Smell of Space, Quot e. T he Apollo crews spoke of t he Moon smelling like gunpowder . Gunpowder is a … www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message874737/pg1 – Cached

Get more discussion results 18. United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, Titusville, Florida It is a hall of f ame PLUS an ext ensive collect ion of Astronaut … (carried back on Apollo 15); and some unappet izing examples of Soviet space f ood. … “Moon Smell” display, which at t empt s t o recreat e t he gunpowder odor of moon dust . … Show map of 6225 Vect orspace Blvd, Tit usville, FL 32780 www.roadsideamerica.com/story/14389 – Cached – Similar 19. Artworks to Show – Page 15 – All Metal Forums Aug 29, 2010 … “It has t hat t ast e — t o me, [of ] gunpowder — and t he smell of … Schmit t says, “All of t he Apollo astronauts were used t o handling guns. … www.allmetalforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=672448 – Cached 20. Apollo:The Right Stuff OT HERWORLDLY ODOR. When t he astronauts t ook of f t heir helmet s inside t he LM … in a f ireplace” and Buzz as “spent gunpowder ”. It was t he smell of moondust . … www.weirdload.com/ apollo.html – Cached – Similar 21. Fogonazos: Top 10 coolest facts about space missions All of t he Apollo astronauts said moondust smell like burnt gunpowder . Curiously, back on Eart h, moondust has no smell. T here are hundreds of pounds of … www.fogonazos.es/2007/11/top-10-coolest-facts-about-space.html – Cached 22. Smell of space is funny, say Discovery pilots | TopNews Mar 29, 2009 … Buy Apollo Tyres Wit h Target Of Rs 81 · Sensex Gains 116 Pt s In Noon … According t o ex-NASA astronaut T homas Jones, a vet eran of t hree … adding t hat t he smell is also similar t o burnt gunpowder or t he ozone smell of elect rical equipment . … T he suit smells like plast ic inside,” he added. … www.topnews.in/ smell-space-funny-say-discovery-pilots-2145051 – Cached 23. Dust-busting, Lunar Style Mar 26, 2007 … Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan, af t er an encount er wit h lunar dust . … Some ast ronaut s report ed smells of caldron, a gunpowder sort of smell, as soon as t hey went … t hey st art ed smelling t hese oxidat ion t ype smells. … www.astrobio.net/interview/2281/dust-busting-lunar-style – Cached 24. Apollo 11 Moon landing: ten facts about Armstrong, Aldrin and … Jul 18, 2009 … When t he astronauts t ook of f t heir helmet s af t er t heir moonwalk, t hey not iced a st rong smell, which Armst rong described as “wet ashes in a … www.telegraph.co.uk/…/ Apollo-11-Moon-landing-ten-facts-about-Armstrong-Aldrin-and-Collinsmission.html – Similar – Add t o iGoogle 25. SpikedHumor.com » Space Smells Like Fried Steak & Hot Metal … Oct 18, 2008 … “We have a f ew clues as t o what space smells like. …. T he moon also had a smell, as report ed by t he Apollo astonauts …like spent … www.spikedhumor.com/…/Space-Smells-Like-Fried-Steak-Hot-Metal.html 26. Houghton Mifflin Science: Cricket Connections No, Apollo astronauts used special rakes t o collect Moon dirt . … And it has a smell very f ew

people, if any, have smelled on t he Eart h. It smells somet hing like spent gunpowder , like you’ve just f ired a shot gun or somet hing and you … www.eduplace.com/science/hmsc/3/d/…/cktcontent_3d.shtml – Cached – Similar 27. Review: Moonbase Alpha Jul 11, 2010 … All t hat ’s missing f rom t his lunar experience is t hat gunpowder -smell of regolit h t he Apollo astronauts report ed when t hey ret urned t o t heir … www.pars3c.com/2010/07/11/review-moonbase-alpha/ – Cached 28. Conspiracy Journal #456 Feb 15, 2008 … (Not e: Burnt and unburnt gunpowder do not smell t he same. Apollo astronauts were specif ic. Moondust smells like burnt gunpowder .) … uforeview.tripod.com/conspiracyjournal456.html – Cached 29. What does the moon smell like? – Ask Jeeves Search According t o Apollo astronauts , it smells a lot like gunpowder . … Once t heir helmet s and gloves … Nat ural Gas Odor Smell . Popular Quest ion Cat egories … uk.ask.com/qotd?…smell… – United Kingdom – Cached 30. 77 Out-of-This-World Facts about the Moon Jun 5, 2010 … Moon dust is said t o smell like spent gunpowder .g … Only 12 people have been on t he moon: t he astronauts on t he Apollo missions f rom 1969 t o 1972.h … g “T he Myst erious Smell of Moondust .” NASA. January 30, 2006. … facts.randomhistory.com/moon-facts.html

Search Results – for “odor from meteorites” 1. ‘Meteorite Man’ Wants Chunk of Canada Meteorite | World | Epoch Times Dec 2, 2008 … Most meteorites smell like sulphur, says Haag, but t here are some t hat have t he odor of st art er f luid. T hese are ext remely rare and provide … www.theepochtimes.com › World › International – Cached – Similar 2. Cosmic Log – Sparks fly over meteorite Oct 10, 2007 … Michael Farmer Meteorite hunt er Michael Farmer kneels at t he rim of a … “I’m sure t here was a heavy sulf ur smell. T hat is not abnormal. … cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/…/406411.aspx – Cached – Similar 3. The Comics Curmudgeon » I love the smell of meteorite strikes in … I love t he smell of meteorite st rikes in t he morning. Gasoline Alley, 7/27/07. For t he last several years — or, oh, let ’s say decades — Gasoline Alley has … joshreads.com/?p=1179 – Cached 4. Re: [meteorite-list] Carancas: Arsenic smell ? Re: [meteorite-list ] Carancas: Arsenic smell ? Dave Gheesling T hu, 19 Mar 2009 21:35:27 -0700. Darren/All, T he t hinner at mosphere on Mars — and t he lower … www.mail-archive.com/ meteorite-list@meteoritecentral…/msg72338.html – Cached 5. Re: [meteorite-list] Carancas: Arsenic smell ? Re: [meteorite-list ] Carancas: Arsenic smell ? Jef f Kuyken T hu, 19 Mar 2009 23:12:12 0700. Hi Dave,. I believe f usion crust is creat ed not only by t he heat … www.mail-archive.com/ meteorite-list@meteoritecentral…/msg72344.html – Cached Show more result s f rom www.mail-archive.com 6. Blackholes and astrostuff: The Saskatchewan (Buzzard Coulee)

Meteorite Jan 22, 2009 … T he meteor has a smell? Really? “I’m about t o smell it again, excuse me,………………., okay I’m back, awesome.” – LOL LOL LOL awesome! … blackholesandastrostuff.blogspot.com/…/saskatchewan-buzzard-coulee- meteorite.html – Cached – Similar 7. Meteorites Guerlain Perfume, a women’s fragrance (2000) meteorites is a nice, even if simple and somewhat linear, scent of powdered iris and violet s – or t o be more precise, t he smell of t he f ace powder in a … www.fragrantica.com/perfume/…/ Meteorites-4045.html – Cached – Similar 8. Meteorite crash landing causes a stir in Peru – Travel – LATimes.com Sep 21, 2007 … Peru invest igat es meteorite said t o be causing sickness · Arizona’s Meteor Crat er: A … “But t here was t his t errible smell, really st rong, …

travel.latimes.com/…/la-trw- meteorite-causes-a-stir-in-peru21sep07 – Cached – Similar 9. Boy Hit by Meteorite Traveling at 30000 MPH (I smell conspiracy … T his t hread has been pulled. Okay. www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270494/posts – Cached – Similar 10. Has the meteorite brought new disease to Earth? | Opinion … Sep 24, 2007 … He said it ’s highly unlikely f or a meteorite t o smell like lead or silver. T hese subst ances exist in meteorites in negligible amount s, … en.rian.ru/analysis/20070924/80570359.html – Cached 11. Peruvian Meteorite Still Puzzling Scientists – Science News … Sep 24, 2007 … But Ishit suka said he doubt s report s of a sulf urous smell. Meteor expert Ursula Marvin said t hat if people were sickened, “it wouldn’t be … www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297610,00.html – Cached – Similar 12. Black helicopters circle ‘Welsh Roswell’ • The Register Forums Aug 23, 2010 … Yep, I’ve played wit h meteorites of all t ypes and whilst t hey are insanely cool, t hey don’t smell of sulf ur. In f act t hey don’t smell at all … forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2010/08/23/welsh_roswell/ – Cached 13. Murchison Meteorite- What A Fireball Over Australia Might Tell Us … Apr 2, 2009… st ones were f ound t hey were st ill warm and had a smoky, aromat ic smell. … T he smoky aroma hint ed t hat t here was more t o t his meteorite … www.science20.com/…/murchison_meteorite _what_fireball_over_australia_might_tell_us_about_origin_life – Cached 14. Meteorite Mayhem Part II: Maybe Missile Mayhem? | Bad Astronomy … Sep 20, 2007 … I said it didn’t sound like a meteorite; in f act , t he impact s report ed … T hat would explain t he f oul smell and t he release of met hane and … blogs.discovermagazine.com/…/ meteorite-mayhem-part-ii-maybe-missile-mayhem/ – Cached – Similar 15. PSRD: Interstellar Organic Matter in Meteorites May 26, 2006 … Gunky Meteorites. Some carbonaceous chondrit es smell. T hey cont ain volat ile compounds t hat slowly give of f chemicals wit h a dist inct ive … www.psrd.hawaii.edu/May06/ meteoriteOrganics.html – Cached – Similar 16. The Accretion Desk – Meteorite Times Magazine Articles … By any ot her word would smell as sweet .” Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2). Had t he Rose Cit y meteorite f allen 16 years earlier, it s name could have been much … www.meteorite-times.com/Back_Links/…/Accretion_Desk.htm – Cached – Similar 17. HowStuffWorks “Meteor Strike in Peru” Sep 25, 2007 … A meteor st rike in Peru may have made up t o 600 people sick, … f or several minut es af t er impact and t hat a smell of sulf ur f illed t he air. … science.howstuffworks.com › … › Astronomy › The Solar System – Cached – Similar 18. Meteorites Petrified Wood Roadside Attraction in Arizona Sep 22, 2009 … I want t o smell t hat smell, you know, t hat smell f rom t he pine t rees,” … 3 User Submit t ed Responses t o “Meteorite Hunt ers and Desert Rat s” … www.vagabondjourney.com/…/ meteorite-hunters-desert-rats/ – Cached – Similar 19. Contagious Fear: Mass Sociogenic Smell Weapon | Danger Room … Jan 28, 2008 … However, US meteorite hunt er Michael Farmer soon arrived on t he scene and conf irmed … “T he smell was caused by t riolit e, an iron sulphide, … www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/01/contagious-fe-1/ – Cached – Similar 20. What to do if you find a meteorite? [Archive] – Bad Astronomy and … Sep 29, 2003 … If you f ind a rock you t hink might be a meteorite, t here are several places t o get …. I smell a hoax! It was t heir grandpa’s Model T Ford, … www.bautforum.com › … › Science and Space › Astronomy – Cached – Similar 21. Is The Abee Meteorite A Remnant From Mercury? | Life Info Zone.com Sep 3, 2009 … In f act , if you were t o cut open a piece of Abee meteorite, you would like encount er a smell t hat is like discharged gun powder; … www.lifeinfozone.com/…/is-the-abee- meteorite-a-remnant-from-mercury/ – Cached

22. Guerlain Meteorites Giant Butterfly Pearls – W 2008 reviews … Guerlain Meteorites Giant But t erf ly Pearls – W 2008 was rat ed 4.7 out of … I love t he smell and I t hink t he cont ainer is pret t y when sit t ing on my vanit y. … www.makeupalley.com/product/…asp/…/ Meteorites…/Highlighters 23. Brazil Meteor Fireball Produces Meteorites — Signs of the Times News He comment ed t hat t he air had a “st rong smell of iron”. T he meteorite appears t o be an ordinary chondrit e wit h bot h primary and secondary f usion crust . … www.sott.net/…/210962-Brazil- Meteor -Fireball-Produces- Meteorites – Cached 24. Meteorites in Iowa’s History Rock f ragment s showered an eight square-mile area, and local resident s report ed a smell of sulphur. As wit h Iowa’s ot her meteorites, f ragment s now are … www.igsb.uiowa.edu/Browse/ meteor / meteor .htm – Cached 25. Society for Popular Astronomy :: View topic – Possible Meteorite … 12 post s - 7 aut hors - Last post : Nov 26, 2005 She emphasised t he smell and charact erised it as a lit t le like t he smell … Ordinary small meteorites, maybe up t o a met re or t wo in size … www.popastro.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1449 – Cached – Similar

Get more discussion results 26. Meteorite Strike – from Usborne Publishing In 2000, a meteor caused t wo sonic booms and a f oul smell in t he air in t he Yukon Territ ory, Canada. A NASA aircraf t f lew t hrough t he debris, searching f or … www.usborne.com/ meteoritestrike/ – Cached – Similar 27. Police: Meteor falls on beach – Israel News, Ynetnews Apr 24, 2010 … Anot her lif eguard, Yossi Mizrahi, said: “T he meteorite kept on burning and gave of f an odd smell. It kept on burning even when we put it in … www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3880008,00.html – Cached 28. Meteor Crash in Peru Caused Mysterious Illness Sep 21, 2007 … Locals described t he meteorite as a bright , f iery ball wit h a smoke t rail. T he sound and smell rat t led resident s t o t he point t hat t hey … news.nationalgeographic.com/…/070921-meteor -peru.html – Cached – Similar 29. If There Ever Was… a book of extinct and impossible smells, by … Oct 23, 2008 … Mark Buxt on recreat ed t he smell of t he Peruvian meteorite; I can’t say what he did exact ly, but I assume he lef t out t he f oul smell of … www.nstperfume.com/…/if-there-ever-was-a-book-of-extinct-and-impossible- smells-byrobert-blackson-perfume-books/ – Cached – Similar 30. » Meteorite Is Making People Sick In A Peruvian Village Dvorak … Sep 18, 2007 … T hat sounds more like a volcanic vent t han a meteorite. A volcanic vent would explain t he smell and ot her sympt oms. … www.dvorak.org/…/ meteorite-is-making-people-sick-in-a-peruvian-village/ – Cached Video: Fiery Met eorit e Falls on Israeli Beach Anot her lif eguard, Yossi Mizrahi, said: “T he met eorit e kept on burning and gave of f an odd smell. It kept on burning even when we put it in t he wat er and it melt ed seashells as if t hey were candles.” Dream comes t rue wit h met eorit e f ind Kevin Meade – July 14, 2006 – Verif ied: David Elliot t wit h t he 17kg met eorit e It t ook him more t han t wo years t o locat e t hem, but t he t wo met eorit es west ern Queensland grazier David Elliot t f ound on his propert y are f urt her proof t hat he has an uncanny knack f or spot t ing rare rocks. My previous art icles can be f ound *HERE*

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Meteorite-Times Magazine IMCA Insights – September 2010 by IMCA TEAM Like

IMCA Insights – September 2010 Commemorating the Schwetz Iron by Andrz ej S. Pilski More t han 20 years ago I st art ed my met eorit e advent ure by reading a great work by Dr. Jerzy Pokrzywnicki „Met eorit es of Poland” (St udia Geologica Polonica, Vol. 15, 1964). T hen I visit ed Polish met eorit e collect ions t o learn how met eorit es act ually do look like. In t he collect ion of t he Museum of t he Eart h in Warsaw, t he capit al of Poland, I could see a rust y slab of an iron met eorit e labelled Schwet z. I knew already t hat it was t he one and only specimen of t his iron met eorit e in Polish collect ions, t raded f rom Berlin f or a specimen of t he Łowicz mesosiderit e shower.

534g t hick slice of Schwet z in t he collect ion of Muzeum Ziemi Phot o court esy A. S. Pilski

Despit e t he lit t le experience I had in preparing irons I dared t o ask t he Museum t o let me ref resh t he slab in order t o show it s nice Widmanst ät t en pat t ern hardly visible under t he rust . Much t o my surprise t he direct or of t he Museum accept ed my proposal. Moreover he agreed t o cut t ing of f a small slice f or t he collect ion of t he Olszt yn Planet arium in t rade f or a slice of t he Seeläsgen iron f or t he Warsaw collect ion.

516.7g slice of Schwet z af t er cut t ing of f a slice f or Olszt yn and et ching Phot o court esy A. S. Pilski

T he result s of et ching were beyond my expect at ions. T he pat t ern was bright and clear and in t he Museum t hey liked t he slice so much t hat t hey placed it s phot o on t he cover of t heir cat alogue “Met eorit es and Tekt it es in t he Collect ion of t he Museum of t he Eart h” by Teresa Hanczke. I included t he st ory int o my int roduct ory book on met eorit es (in Polish) “Nieziemskie skarby” (Uneart hly t reasures).

6.4 g slice of Schwet z f rom t he collect ion of Olszt yn Planet arium on display at monument Phot o court esy Ryszard Biernikowicz

T he book was read by Bogdan Tarach f rom t he village of Kozłowo near Świecie, f ormer Schwet z. He was impressed t o learn t hat he lived next t o t he place where a met eorit e had been f ound. He t ried t o f ind anot her met eorit e in t he area and one day he came t o visit me in Frombork wit h his t ruck f ull of st ones. I checked t hem but unf ort unat ely I could f ind no met eorit e among t hem. Several years passed and one day I was t old t hat t he aut horit ies of t he t own of Świecie want ed t o commemorat e t he met eorit e t hat had been f ound near t heir t own. T hey had built a monument , and last August I got an invit at ion f or t he unveiling ceremony on August 21, 2010. T he t iming didn’t f it my schedule, but t he organizers insist ed. I was surprised: why did t hey want just me t o be t here?

Bogdan Tarach (right ) and t he aut hor (lef t ) at t he display case next t o t he monument Phot o court esy Ryszard Biernikowicz

T he myst ery was solved when I arrived at Kozłowo and was welcomed by t he same Bogdan Tarach who visit ed me in Frombork. Having served many years as village administ rat or in Kozłowo and member of t he Council of Świecie Bogdan Tarach t alked t he aut horit ies int o commemorat ing t he met eorit e f ind somehow. Finally his idea was accept ed as part of a project of building a recreat ion area at Wda river, f ormerly called Schwarzwasser. Here is t he quot at ion I could read about t he f ind of Schwet z iron in t he paper by Pokrzywnicki: „Im Frühjahre 1850 wurde bei dem Abt ragen eines sandigen Hügels f ür Ost bahn auf dem linken Uf er des Schwarzwassers bei Schwet z an d. Weichsel eine Eisenmasse et wa 4 Fuss unt er der Oberf läche der Erde an der Gränze des oberen Sandes mit dem darunt er liegenden Lehm gef unden. Sie war kluf t ig und ohne Mühe zu t rennen. (…) Die ursprüngliche Gest alt der Eisenmasse ist ungef ähr die eines geraden recht winklichen an der Kant en ganz abgerundet e Prizma. Sie ist 9″ hoch, 24″ lang und 171/2″ breit . Die ganze Masse wiegt 43 Pf d. 81/4 Lt h.” (Pogg. Ann. Ergänz., Vol. IV, 1854, S. 390 und 454).

T he main mass of t he Schwet z iron in t he collect ion of t he Museum f ür Nat urkunde in Berlin Phot o court esy Dr. Ansgar Greshake

Norbert Classen kindly t ranslat ed t his passage int o English: “In spring 1850, during t he excavat ion of a sandy hill f or [t he building of t he] Ost bahn [Prussian East ern railroad line] on t he lef t bank of t he Schwarzwasser Creek near Schwet z an der Weichsel, an iron mass was f ound 4 f eet [1.2m] below t he surf ace at t he t ransit ion f rom sand t o t he underlying clay. It [t he mass] was f issured and could be easily divided. (…) T he original shape of t he iron mass is approximat ely t hat of a st raight rect angular prism wit h f ully rounded edges. It is 9″ high, 24″ long, and 17.5″ wide [Prussian inches, i.e., ~23x62x45.5cm]. T he ent ire mass weighs 43 pounds [Berlin pounds, i.e., 21.5kg].” (Pogg. Ann. Ergänz., Vol. IV, 1854, p. 390 and 454)

Bogdan Tarach st art s t he unveiling ceremony Phot o court esy Ryszard Biernikowicz

Bogdan Tarach t old me t hat according t o his knowledge t he met eorit e was f ound during excavat ions f or pillars of t he railway bridge. T hat ’s why he suggest ed t o place t he monument at t he bridge on lef t bank of t he Wda river. T he monument was sit uat ed bet ween t he road and t he river and is t wo-sided so it can be read bot h by hikers and cyclist s f rom t he road and canoeist s

f rom t he river.

Unveiling t he monument Phot o court esy Ryszard Biernikowicz

T he ceremony was st art ed by Bogdan Tarach who described brief ly t he ef f ort s which led t o t he building of t he monument , and t hen f our not ables were asked t o unveil t he monument t oget her: Bogdan Tarach, Jerzy Wójcik – president of t he Council of Świecie, Tadeusz Pogoda – mayor of Świecie and me, as a represent at ive of IMCA and t he person responsible f or t riggering Mr. Tarach’s int erest in met eorit es t hat f inally led t o t he creat ion of t he monument .

Wadi – t he guardian of t he slice of Schwet z Phot o court esy Jan Woreczko

Two of t he t hree specimens of Schwet z in Polish collect ions were brought t o t he unveiling ceremony and were displayed in a special case next t o t he monument ; t he small 6.4 g slice f rom t he Olszt yn Planet arium, and a 127.6 g slice f rom t he collect ion of Jakub Radwan. T he last one I spot t ed a f ew years ago of f ered f or sale by Sergey Vasiliev. It was priced f ar beyond my reach, but f ort unat ely anot her Polish collect or had been able t o purchase it and soon I was asked t o ref resh it as it s et ch pat t ern was rat her weak. Of course, I agreed wit h pleasure. T he result was nice again, t hen t he slice was sold t o it s current owner and displayed during t he met eorit e conf erence in Wrocław, Poland, t wo years ago. T he owner loaned it f or t he met eorit e exhibit ion in Warsaw, and kindly agreed t hat t he slice could be brought t o Kozłowo and Świecie f or t hat special

celebrat ion. Responsible f or t he slice were Jan Woreczko and Wadi, owners of a large met eorit e collect ion who kept t heir eyes on it all t he t ime.

Jacek Drążkowski, an ast ronomer and met eorit e collect or born in Świecie, who also helped wit h preparing t he monument and ceremony, t alks about t he Schwet z iron Phot o court esy Ryszard Biernikowicz

T he monument seen f rom t he river Phot o court esy Jan Woreczko

T hen t here were a f ew speeches f ollowed by many discussions and phot os at t he monument and at t he display case, an lat er everybody was invit ed t o an educat ional picnic in an old cast le in t he t own of Świecie.

T he cast le of Świecie Phot o court esy Jan Woreczko

T he display case wit h bot h specimens of Schwet z/Świecie was moved t o t he cast le, where visit ors could see and hear f our t alks on t he Schwet z iron and on met eorit es in general, could gaze at t he Sun, and lat er at t he Moon and t he st ars wit h a t elescope on t he t ower of t he cast le, or look at t he st arry sky in a port able planet arium and play in t he court of t he cast le. T he picnic ended lat e at night .

Looking at t he Sun wit h t elescope brought t o t he t ower f rom Olszt yn Planet arium Phot o court esy Ryszard Biernikowicz

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Meteorite-Times Magazine NWA 2377 by John Kashuba Like

Chuck, T here are a lot of pict ures of NWA 2377 L3.7 on t he web. No doubt t his is because it ’s such a good example of a chondrit e. It ’s got a dark mat rix wit h large cont rast ing well def ined chondrules. Mike Bandli (collect or, dealer, hunt er) sees “a candy f illed chondrule mat rix”. Yes, I’m adding anot her part slice pict ure t o t he worldwide cybermass. I just have t o. But I’ll show you some new t hin sect ion pict ures t oo. I just got my f irst t hin sect ion of t his baby and it ’s really pret t y good. John

T his part slice is about 30 mm long. It looks like all t he rest but you see what I mean.

T his is my version. T he view is about 9.3 mm wide. Pet er Marmet (all around nice guy) has a low magnif icat ion view of NWA 2377 on his T HE COLORFUL WORLD OF T HIN SECT IONS page.

But what st ruck me most is t hat t here are several compound chondrules on t his one slide. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t f ind t hose every day. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a f inely barred chondrule inside a porphyrit ic one.

Anot her barred chondrule t hat had mat erial accret e and cryst allize around it .

And a big one, over t hree millimet ers long.

Does it look like t his f ormed around a BO chondrule f ragment ?

T he variet y of f eat ures on t his slide is amazing. T his granular aggregat e cont rast s wit h t he POP chondrule above it .

Quit e a variet y of t ext ures here.

Assort ed f orms.

Finally, t hese t wo; neighbors but dif f erent . Please Share and Enjoy:

Meteorite-Times Magazine Meteorite Calendar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2010 by Anne Black Like

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Meteorite-Times Magazine Ensisheim by Michael Johnson Like

Ensisheim using t hree cm cubes and one inch cube. T hey are t he f aux ant ique ones t hat Tom Phillips makes. Here is t he message t o t he Met eorit e List where Tom explained t he cubes, naming t hem af t er me, Mart in Horejsi and t he reason a pict ure of t he cubes wit h Ensisheim is import ant . ht t p://www.mail-archive.com/met eorit e-list @met eorit ecent ral.com/msg82108.ht ml © Mart in Horejsi Images, t ext are Copyright © 2010 ROCKSFROMSPACE.ORG. No reproduct ion wit hout writ t en permission. Web design by Michael Johnson of rocksf romspace.org ROCKS FROM OUT ER SPACE Please Share and Enjoy:

Meteorite-Times Magazine Indochinite 42.2 grams by Editor Like

Indochinite 42.2 grams

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Meteorite-Times Magazine Meteorite-Times Sponsors by Editor Like

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Once a few decades ago this opening was a framed window in the wall of H. H. Nininger's Home and Museum building. From this window he must have many times pondered the mysteries of Meteor Crater seen in the distance. Photo by ÂŠ 2010 James Tobin