Kazakhstan Meteor/Meteorite News- Kazakhstan Meteor over Atomic Power Station 11NOV09

В небе над томской АЭС сгорел метеорит

Vesti.kz - Almaty,Kazakhstan
В небе над Томском недалеко от действующей атомной электростанции сгорел каменный метеорит, сообщает Life News. След падения небесного тела на камеру... [more]

Russian-English machine translation:
In the sky above the Tomsk atomic power station the meteorite has burned down
Vesti.kz - Almaty,Kazakhstan
The trace of falling of a heavenly body on the chamber of a cellular telephone was fixed in the evening on the last Tuesday, on November, 10th, by the 20-years native of village Tahtamyshevo. ...

Meteor/Meteorite News- 11NOV09

The Associated Press

Vatican looks to heavens for signs of alien life

The Associated Press
Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best. The observatory, founded by Pope ...


The lights in the night sky reappear

9NEWS.com
They didn't belong to a meteorite, a UFO, or anything else - it was only members of the Mile-Hi Skydiving Center. Monday evening, thousands of people saw ...

The 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower

RedOrbit
This year's Leonid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday, Nov. 17th. If forecasters are correct, the shower should produce a mild but pretty sprinkling of meteors ...

Meteor impacts may have cooked up life on Earth

Newspost Online
A new research by scientists has confirmed that the organic matter needed for the origin of life could have been delivered to Earth through meteoritic ...

Thinking dark thoughts

Albany Times Union
Next Tuesday, the Leonid meteor shower will be putting on a show. According to this article, the peak performance is expected to be between 3:30 and 5:30 am ...

Meteor/Meteorite News- Asteroid 2009 VA Whizzes By The Earth 6NOV09 10NOV09

Small Asteroid 2009 VA Whizzes By The Earth
Don Yeomans, Paul Chodas, Steve Chesley
NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
November 9, 2009


Trajectory of Asteroid 2009 VA Past Earth on November 6, 2009

A newly discovered asteroid designated 2009 VA, which is only about 7
meters in size, passed about 2 Earth radii (14,000 km) from the Earth's
surface Nov. 6 at around 16:30 EST. This is the third-closest known
(non-impacting) Earth approach on record for a cataloged asteroid. ...
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news166.html

Meteor/Meteorite News- Father of Chinese Space Program Dies 31OCT09 10NOV09

Father of the Chinese
space program dies
BY CRAIG COVAULT
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: November 2, 2009

The father of China's space and strategic rocket program Tsien Hsue-shen, who worked initially on U.S. rocket development, helped bring Werner Von Braun to the U.S. then was wrongly deported back to China in the 1950s for alleged ties with communist China, died in Beijing Oct. 31 at age 98. (He has also gone by the name of Qian Xuesen.) ... [more]

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0911/02china/

9NOV2009

Марсоход перепутал метеорит с обычным камнем

Lenta.ru - Москва,Russia
Марсоход Opportunity обнаружил камень, который ученые издалека приняли за метеорит и успели дать ему имя Marquette Island ("Остров Маркет"). ...
The mars rover has mixed a meteorite with a usual stone
Lenta.ru - Moscow, Russia
Mars rover Opportunity has found out a stone which scientists have from apart accepted for a meteorite and had time to name it Marquette Island (" Island the Market ")....

Meteorite found due to skycam

Discover Magazine
It's been observing the sky since 2006, and it paid off handsomely: a bright meteor observed by the skycam has led to the resulting meteorite being found. ...

Meteorite-Times November issue is now up
http://www.meteorite-times.com/

Meteor/Meteorite News- 10NOV09

KXJZ News

Meteor Shower to Light up the Skies

KXJZ News
The annual Leonid meteor shower will peak next week, but the meteors could start as soon as Tuesday night. So what should you look for? ...

The Money Times

World will not end in 2012: NASA

The Money Times
Some reports claim that some meteor would hit Earth. Others state that the world will come to an end due to reversal in its rotation or as a result of the ...


Ist das ein Meteorit ?

Oberbayerisches Volksblatt (Abonnement) - Bayern,Germany
Unterreit - Wie erkennt man einen Meteoriten? Als Feuerkugel wird ein besonders heller Meteor mit einer Leuchtdauer von rund fünf Sekunden bezeichnet, ...
Is that a meteorite?
Oberbayerisches Volksblatt (subscription) - Bavaria, Germany
Unterreit - How one recognizes a meteorite? An especially bright meteor with a luminous duration of about five seconds is called fire ball...

Earth Heads into Meteor Territory

News10.net
It's not an invasion of UFO's, but rather the annual Perseid meteor shower. Astronomers say the Perseid is one of the best meteor showers as it produces up ...

Geelong Advertiser

Mystery holes in Grovedale roof could be meteorites, says expert

Geelong Advertiser
The Astronomical Society of Victoria's president Perry Vlahos predicted a marble-sized piece of space junk or meteorite could have caused the damage and the ...


Here comes the 2009 Leonid meteor shower

Astronomy Magazine
The Leonid meteor shower peaks November 17, when you might see up to 100 meteors per hour under a dark sky. Astronomy: Roen Kelly [View Larger Image] ...

Camera Network Tracks Anomalous Meteorite

Space Fellowship
An unusual meteorite with an interesting orbit has been tracked to the ground using a photographic observatory that records time-lapse images of fireballs ...

Adirondacks: Stargazing Parties, Holiday Events

ABC News
The Adirondack Loj in Lake Placid is planning a Meteor Mania event starting at 10 pm Nov. 17, when experts are forecasting a meteor shower will take place. ...

Camera Network Spies Anomalous Meteorite
Universe Today Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:18 AM PST
A network of time-lapse cameras set up in the Nullarbor Plain desert of Western Australia has allowed researchers to track a fallen meteorite to the ground, and enabled them to determine its original orbit and parent body. The meteorite has a composition different than that of other meteors, leading researchers to believe that it originates [...]

Weekend Fireball Still a Mystery

NBC Bay Area
Should a piece of the meteor survive the fiery path through the atmosphere and reach the ground it becomes known as a meteorite. The colors seen in meteor ...

Jimmy Westlake: A great year for Leonid meteors Steamboat Pilot It is the debris shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle that creates our annual Leonid meteor shower when the Earth encounters the comet's orbit each November. ...

Meteor sightings on the rise - 'tis the season Ukiah Daily Journal Meteor sightings reported by Willits residents on Saturday night may be the first of many later in the month for people in Mendocino County and points all ...

CU professor explains strange lights in the sky over Denver

9NEWS.com
"I thought it was a meteorite. You could see a tail behind it, and as it got closer you could really see the tail. It was on fire. ...

Troubled asteroid mission stumbles on road home
SPACEFLIGHT NOW-Hopes are fading for the return of the Hayabusa space probe after
another of its ion thrusters failed last week, leaving just one
already-damaged engine to guide the hard-luck spacecraft back to Earth,
potentially with the first precious samples of an asteroid. ...
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0911/09hayabusa/

British Columbia/ Yolo Cnty, Calf. Meteors 7NOV2009

Марсоход перепутал метеорит с обычным камнем

Lenta.ru - Москва,Russia
Марсоход Opportunity обнаружил камень, который ученые издалека приняли за метеорит и успели дать ему имя Marquette Island ("Остров Маркет"). ...
The mars rover has mixed a meteorite with a usual stone
Lenta.ru - Moscow, Russia
Mars rover Opportunity has found out a stone which scientists have from apart accepted for a meteorite and had time to name it Marquette Island (" Island the Market ")....

Meteorite found due to skycam

Discover Magazine
It's been observing the sky since 2006, and it paid off handsomely: a bright meteor observed by the skycam has led to the resulting meteorite being found. ...

Meteorite-Times November issue is now up
http://www.meteorite-times.com/

Possible meteor spotted in BC sky

CBC.ca
People throughout British Columbia were treated to a spectacular light show Saturday after what's believed to be a meteor lit up the sky. ...

Meteorite Sighting Startles Yolo County Residents
CBS 13 Sacramento Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:16 PM PST
Authorities scrambled to find a downed aircraft after numerous witnesses called to report seeing a fireball plunge out of the sky, but the sightings may have been the result of something a bit more astronomical.

The UFO / fireball in the sky Saturday night was part of a meteor shower (video)

Examiner.com
The YouTube vdeo below that shows some of the contrails vapor left behind by the meteorite. The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that the meteor shower prompted ...

Firey meteor may have caused reports of plane crash north of Woodland

Daily Democrat
However, a search by law enforcement personnel and media turned up nothing, leaving observers to speculate the reports were those of a meteor blazing across ...

Meteor/Meteorite News- The World's Largest Meteorites 9NOV09

The World's Largest Meteorites
by Norbert Classen
The largest meteorites found are usually irons. This is due to the fact that iron meteorites are more stable compared to stony or stony-iron meteorites. The latter two types of meteorites often break up into many pieces upon entering the atmosphere, creating the most impressive phenomenon known as a meteorite shower.... (more with photos)

http://imca.cc/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=59

Another website of :

Largest Meteorites in the World

by Mike Jensen

http://www.jensenmeteorites.com/largestmeteorites.htm

and yet another:

7 Most Massive Single Meteorites on Earth

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/most-massive-single-meteorites-earth/17225

Meteor/Meteorite News- Martian Landscapes 9NOV09

Martian landscapes

Boston Globe- boston.com 6NOV09

Since 2006, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been orbiting Mars, currently circling approximately 300 km (187 mi) above the Martian surface. On board the MRO is HiRISE, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, which has been photographing ... (more text and 35 excellent images of Martian landscape !!!)

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/martian_landscapes.html

Meteor/Meteorite News- Kaidun--A Meteorite with Everything but the Kitchen Sink 9NOV09

Kaidun--A Meteorite with Everything but the Kitchen Sink
--- This unique breccia is called a single-stone meteorite collection.

Written by Linda M. V. Martel
Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology

An unprecedented variety of chondritic and achondritic meteorite fragments make up the Kaidun meteorite. In a well-illustrated 2003 paper Michael Zolensky (NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas) and Andrei Ivanov (Vernadsky Institute, Moscow, Russia) summarize two decades of work on the complex, fragmental breccia, reviewing the types and origins of clasts present in Kaidun and theories for the origin of its parent body. ...

Whole Article with photos:

http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Oct09/Kaidun_meteorite.html

Meteor/Meteorite News- North America comet theory questioned was “Dryas all wet” 9NOV09

North America comet theory questioned was “Dryas all wet”

“ http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091012/full/news.2009.997.html

"North America comet theory questioned”


The full reference to the article at the above URL is:

North America comet theory questioned. No evidence of an extraterrestrial
impact 13,000 years ago, studies say by Rex Dalton, Nature News, Published
online October 12, 2009, doi:10.1038/news.2009.997

The paper is:

Surovell, T. A., V. T. Holliday, J. A. M. Gingerich, C. Ketron, C. Vance
Haynes, Jr., I. Hilman, D. P. Wagner, E. Johnson, and P. Claeyse. 2009,
An independent evaluation of the Younger Dryas extraterrestrial impact
hypothesis. Published online before print October 12, 2009,
doi: 10.1073/pnas.0907857106,

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/10/09/0907857106

This reminds me of the claims made by a group of researchers, which
included Luann Becker, for indicators of an extraterrestrial impact
at the Permian - Triassic and the Bedout High structure being the
impact crater. Papers were published arguing that evidence of
extraterrestrial impact, including fullerenes containing extraterrestrial
3He, are found at the Permian - Triassic boundary. Later researchers,
who restudied various Permian - Triassic boundary outcrops, including
the ones studied by Becker, and were unable to replicate their findings.
The evidence used to argue for Bedout High being an impact structure
either could not be replicate or turned out to be open to alternative
interpretations. Finally, there is a considerable amount of controversy
whether many of the fullerenes found in sediments are even of
extraterrestrial origin.

Best Regards,

Paul

Meteor/Meteorite News- Dryas all wet 9NOV09

Dryas all wet

http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091012/full/news.2009.997.html

North America comet theory questioned

No evidence of an extraterrestrial impact 13,000 years ago, studies say.
by Rex Dalton

An independent study has cast more doubt on a controversial theory that a comet
exploded over icy North America nearly 13,000 years ago, wiping out the Clovis
people and many of the continent's large animals. ...

References
1. Surovell, T. A. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA advance online
publication doi:10.1073/pnas.0907857106 (2009).
2. Firestone, R. B. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, 16016-16021
(2007).
3. Marlon, J. R. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 2519-2524
(2009).
4. Kennett, D. J. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 12623-12628
(2009).

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/10/irreproducible-results-raise-doubts-about-ice-age-impact.ars

Asteroid impact-driven climate change called into question

In recent years, a team of researchers has been gathering evidence of an
extraterrestrial impact that occurred precisely as the Earth plunged into a cold
snap. Now, other researchers have tried to reproduce a key piece of that
evidence, and apparently failed.

By John Timmer | Last updated October 12, 2009 3:11 PM CT

The end of the last ice age was a busy time in North America. As a whole, the
world seemed to be in the process of exiting the long cold snap nearly 15,000
years ago, but there was a sudden return to icy conditions that lasted nearly
2,000 years. At about the same time, the first humans made their presence felt
in North America, and many of the larger species of fauna went extinct. ...

Meteor/Meteorite News- New Paper on Identifying Impact Structures in "Earth-Science Reviews" 9NOV09

New Paper on Identifying Impact Structures in "Earth-Science Reviews"

A new paper has been published online. It critically
reviews the reliability of different criteria used
to identify extraterrestrial impact structures.

Frencha, B. M., and Koeberl, C., in press, The
convincing identification of terrestrial meteorite
impact structures: What works, what doesn't, and why.
Earth-Science Reviews, Article in Press
doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.10.009

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.10.009

Yours,

Paul H.

Meteor/Meteorite News- Recent Papers Related to the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis 9NOV09

Recent Papers Related to the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis

Two recent papers related to the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis are:

Woodman, N., and N. B. Athfiel, 2009, Post-Clovis survival of
American Mastodon in the southern Great Lakes Region of North
America. Quaternary Research. vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 359-363.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2009.06.009

One statement in the paper is:

"Previous study of relative numbers of preserved spores of
the dung fungus Sporormiella, used as a proxy for megafaunal
biomass, suggests that populations of large mammals were in
steep decline in northeastern North America before the onset
of the YDC."

Another paper in the same issue is:

Newby, P., J. Bradley, A. Spiess, B. Shuman, and P. Leduc,
2009, A Paleoindian response to Younger Dryas climate change.
Quaternary Science Reviews. vol. 24, no. 1-2, pp. 141-154.
doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.04.010

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.04.010

Your,

Paul H.

Meteor/Meteorite News- More References About Geology of “World's Biggest Impact Crater” (??) Region 9NOV09

More References About Geology of “World's Biggest Impact Crater” (??) Region

In addition to papers list at:
http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/2009-October/057487.html

and
http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/2009-October/057488.html

there many more references about the geology of the Bombay High
region of the western Indian continental shelf where the so-called
“World's Biggest Impact Crater” / "Shiva impact crater" lies to
be found.

They include:

Biswas S K 1982 Rift basins in the western margin of India
and their hydrocarbon prospects; American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Bulletin. vol. 66, no. 10, pp. 1497-1513.

Biswas S K 1987 Regional tectonic framework, structure and
evolution of the western margin basins of India.Tectonophysics,
vol. 135, issue 4, pp. 307-327

Biswas, S. K., M. K. Rangaraju, J. Thomas, and S. K. Bhattacharya,
1994, Cambay- Hazad(!) Petroleum System in the South Cambay Basin,
India: Chapter 37: Part VI. Case Studies--Eastern Hemisphere.
In L. B. Magoon and W. G. Dow, eds., pp. 615-624. Memoir 60,
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Duncan, R.A., 1990, The volcanic record of the Reunion
Hotspot, Proceedings of the ODP, Sciences Results. vol 115,
pp. 3–9.

http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/115_SR/VOLUME/CHAPTERS/sr115_01.pdf

The above publications shows paleogeographic reconstructions.

Sharma, K. K., 2007, "Cretaceous-Tertiary Tectono-Magmatism
in the NW Indian shield: A fragmenting continent."

http://www.mantleplumes.org/NWIndia.html

http://www.mantleplumes.org/WebpagePDFs/NWIndia.pdf

Todal, A., and O. Edholm, 1998, ontinental margin off Western
India and Deccan Large Igneous Province. Marine Geophysical
Researches. vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 273-291

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g7l126p314673055/

There are a huge number of references listed at the above URL.

The unborken URL to:

Chatterjee, S., N. Guven, A. Yoshinobu, and P. Donofrio,
2006, Shiva Structure: a possible KT boundary impact
crater on the western shelf of India.Special Publications,
Museum Texas Tech University. no. 50. is:

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gesc/Fac_pages/Yoshinobu/Published_pdfs/Chatterjee%20et%20al.%202006.pdf

The link to it can be found on Dr. 's publications page at:

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gesc/Fac_pages/Yoshinobu/Yosh_publications.html

Yours,

Paul H.

Meteor/Meteorite News- Scientists Try to Calm '2012' hysteria 9NOV09

Scientists Try to Calm '2012' hysteria

Scientists Try to Calm '2012' hysteria

2012: Combat the Nonsense, Universe Today, Oct 14, 2009
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/10/14/2012-combat-the-nonsense/

http://www.universetoday.com/category/2012/

2012: Eh, It's Not the End Of the World: Film & Internet
Rumors Fuel Doomsday Babble, Washington Post, Oct. 16, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101503745.html

Nasa: The end of the world is lie, Mirror.co.uk, Oct 16, 2009?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/10/17/nasa-the-end-of-the-world-is-lie-115875-21753230/

Scientists try to calm '2012' hysteria by John Johnson
Los Angeles Times, Oct 16, 2009?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-movie17-2009oct17,0,4123180.story

2012 Apocalypse, Astrobiology Magazine, Oct. 18, 2009
http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/3283/2012-apocalypse

Aveni, Anthony, 2009, Apocalypse Soon? Archaeology Magazine.
vol. 62 no. 6 (November/December 2009), pp. 31-35.

http://www.archaeology.org/0911/2012/

http://www.archaeology.org/0911/

Yours,

Paul H.

Meteor/Meteorite News- PDF Files of Papers About K-T and Alledged Younger Dryas Impacts 9NOV09

PDF Files of Papers About K-T and Alledged Younger Dryas Impacts

I. Bass River Drilling Project - Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary
http://geology.rutgers.edu/brimages.shtml

Ejecta layer at the K/T Boundary, Bass River, New Jersey by R. K. Olsson
and K. G. Miller
http://www.oceanleadership.org/files/USSSP/PDFs/Greatest_Hits/Events/Olsson.pdf

II. Chicxulub crater deep drilling project web page at:
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Chicxulub/Chixproject.html

and http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Web-Chix/ICDP-Chix/chixintro.html

III. PDF Files of Philippe Claeys's Papers

There are a number of links to PDF files of papers concerning the
Chicxulub Crater and the Cretaceous - Tertiary (KT) Boundary
Mass Extinction Event by Philippe Claeys towards on his web
page at:

http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Claeys.htm

They include:

Schulte, P., Speijer, R.P., Brinkhuis H., Kontny, A.,
Claeys, Ph., Galeotti, S., and Smit, J., 2008, Comment
on the paper: "Chicxulub impact predates K-T boundary:
New evidence from Brazos, Texas" by Keller et al.
(2007). Earth and Planetary Science Letters. vol. 269,
pp. 614-620.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Schulte-2008.pdf

Tagle R., Erzinger, J., Hecht, L., Schmitt, R. T.,
Stoeffler, D., and Claeys, Ph., 2004, Platinum group
elements in impactites of the ICDP Chicxulub drill core
Yaxcopoil-1. Are there traces of the projectile ?
Meteoritics and Planetary Science. vol. 39, pp. 1009-1016,
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Tagle-etal-04.pdf

Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J., Morgan, J., Stoeffler, D., and Claeys,
Ph.,2004, The Chicxulub Scientific Drilling Project (CSDP).
Meteoritics and Planetary Science, vol. 39, pp. 787-790.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Urrutia-etal-04.pdf

Claeys, Ph., Heuschkel, S., Lounejeva-Baturina, E., Sanchez-
Rubio, G., Stoeffler, D., The suevite of drill hole Yucatan 6
in the Chicxulub impact crater. Meteoritics and Planetary
Science. vol. 38, pp. 1299-1317.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Claeys-etal-03.pdf

Claeys, Ph., Kiessling, W. and Alvarez, W., 2002, Distribution
of Chicxulub ejecta at the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary.
Geological Society of America Special Paper no. 356, pp. 55-69.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Claeys-etal-02.pdf

Kiessling, W. and Claeys, Ph., 2001, geographic database
approach to the K/T boundary. In Geological and Biological
Effects of Impact Events. Eds. E. Buffetaut, and Koeberl C.,
Impact Studies, Springer Verlag Berlin p.83-140.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Kiessling%26Claeys-01.pdf

Jones, A.P., Claeys, Ph., and Heuschkel, S. Impact melting:
a review of experimental constraints for carbonate targets
and applications to the Chicxulub crater. In Impact and
Early Earth. Eds. I. Gilmour and C. Koeberl, Lecture Notes
in Earth Sciences, v. 91, p. 343-362, Springer Verlag Berlin.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Jones-etal-01.pdf

Grajales-Nishimura, J. M., Cedillo-Pardo, E., Rosales-Domínguez,
C., Morán-Zenteno, J. D., Alvarez, W., Claeys, Ph., Ruíz-Morales,
J., García-Hernández, J., Padilla-Avila, P., and Sánchez-Ríos,
A., 1999, The Chicxulub impact: source for reservoirs and seals in
southeastern Mexico oil fields. Geology. vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 307-310.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Grajales-etal-00.pdf

Pope, K.O., Ocampo, A.C., Fisher, A. G., Alvarez W., Fouke,
B.W., Webster, C.L. Jr., Vega, F., Smit, J., Frische A. E.,
and Claeys, Ph., 1999, Proximal Chicxulub impact ejecta from
Albion Island, Belize. Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
vol. 170, pp. 351-364.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Pope-etal-99.pdf

Smit J., Roep, T.B., Alvarez W., Montanari, A., Claeys Ph.,
Grajales-Nishimura, J.M., and Bermudez, J., 1996, Coarse-grained,
clastic sandstone complex at the KT boundary around the Gulf
of Mexico: Deposition by tsunami waves induced by the Chicxulub
impact? Geological Society of America Special Paper, vol. 307, pp. 151-182.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Smit-etal-96.pdf

Warren, P. H., Claeys Ph. and Cedillo-Pardo E., 1996, Mega-
impact melt petrology (Chicxulub, Sudbury, and the Moon):
Effects of scale and other factors on potential for fractional
crystallization and development of cumulates. Geological
Society of America Special Paper. vol. 307, pp. 105-124.
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Pubs/Warren-etal-96.pdf

IV PDF files of some of his popular works can
be found in "Outreach to the media and public" at
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Press.htm

They include comments by him about the hypothesized
terminal Pleistocene "Clovis Comet" impact. including:

Le monde, 21 June 2008, interview in article: "La
thÅse de la mÄtÄorite tueuse de Mammouths sucite
de vifs dÄbats" [click here for article].
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Press.htm

http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Pdf%20files/Sciencevie-march-09.pdf

Le monde, 05 January 2009, interview in article:
"Une crise Äcologique tombÄe du ciel il y a 12900 ans?"
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Press.htm

http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Pdf%20files/Lemonde-4jan09.pdf

De Standaard, De Morgen, Het Laatste Nieuws, the
3 major Flemish newspapers, 20 October 2009, articles:
"Mammoet stierf niet uit door buitenaardse inslag"
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Press.htm

http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Pdf%20files/DeStandaard201009.pdf

Le monde, 21 June 2008, interview in article: "La
thÅse de la mÄtÄorite tueuse de Mammouths sucite
de vifs dÄbats"
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Press.htm

http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Press/Pdf%20files/Lemonde.pdf

Paul H.

Meteor/Meteorite News- "Ancient Atomic Bombs" (Libyan Desert Glass) 9NOV09

"Ancient Atomic Bombs" (Libyan Desert Glass)

In "Ancient Atomic Bombs" at,
http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/2009-October/057786.html

Michael Groetz asked:

"Sand dunes in the Egyptian desert. What
phenomenon could be capable of raising
the temperature of desert sand to at least
3,300 degrees Fahrenheit, casting it into
great sheets of solid yellow-green glass?

The article in question is "Ancient Atomic Bombs" by
Leonardo Vintini, Epoch Times, Oct. 31, 2009,

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/24575/

Contrary to the claims made in the article, an
extraterrestrial impact of some sort is capable of
explaining the Libyan Desert Glass as this material
is commonly called. Many of the objections are made in
this article are based upon a mixture of misinformation
and falsehoods presented in this article; research
either ignored or overlooked by in this article; and
over lack of understanding of what is currently known
about Libyan Desert Glass.

First, the article dismisses the involvement of an
extraterrestrial impact because of the "absence of
accompanying craters in the desert." The absence of an
impact crater in the vicinity of the Libyan Desert
Glass is not problem because an aerial burst, which
would have not left a crater, could have melted the
ground's surface to create it. Various researchers
have used computer models to demonstrate that this
physically possible. they include:

Boslough, M. B. E., and D.A. Crawford, 2008, Low-
altitude airbursts and the impact threat. International
Journal of Impact Engineering. vol. 35, no. 12,
pp. 1441-1448.

Svetsov V. V. and Wasson J. T. 2007. Melting of Soil
Rich in Quartz by Radiation from Aerial Bursts - A
Possible Cause of Formation of Libyan Desert Glass
and Layered Tektites. Abstracts of the Lunar and
Planetary Science Conference. 38th, Abstract no. 1499.

Wasson J. T., 2003., Large Aerial Bursts: An Important
Class of Terrestrial Accretionary Events. Astrobiology.
vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 163-179.

In addition, the Libyan Desert Glass (LDG) occurs as
surface lag composed of loose cobbles, pebbles, and
granules. Since the LDG is found in place, it allows for
a number of explanations of how the material was
created. These include the LDG is what remains of
former melt pool of a crater that has since been
eroded away, leaving a lag of fragmented glass, is
what remains of a solid sheet of glass created by an
aerial burst that has been completely fragmented by
subsequent erosion; and is what remains of impactites
created elsewhere outside its current distribution
and subsequently eroded from its original source, and
transported to where it is now found. There are a
number of pros and cons to these and other ideas
about how LDG formed, which are too lengthy to discuss
in any detail in this post.

The LDG is similar to Mong Nong-type tektites, which
with other Australasian tektites are of impact origin
and lack a known impact crater. ("impact origin" includes
both the terrestrial impact origin and impact of lunar
material hypotheses.) Thus, the LDG is not the only
glassy impactite that lacks a known crater.

Pertinent reference:

Ramirez-Cardona, M., El-Barkooky, A. Hamdan, M. Flores-
Castro, K., Jimenez-Martinez, N. I., and Mendoza-
Espinosa, M., 2008, On the Libyan Desert Silica Glass
(LDSG) transport model from a hypothetical impact
structure. PIS-01 General contributions to impact
structures, International Geological Congress Oslo
2008, Oslo, Norway.

http://www.cprm.gov.br/33IGC/1350834.html

The Epoch time article notes that:

"Neither satellite imagery nor sonar
has been able to find any holes."

The problem here is that "sonar" is not used to find
impact craters on land. In fact, it would be impossible
to use sonar for any purpose in the Sahara Desert where
LDG is found. This misinformation is an excellent
indication of an extreme lack of understanding of basic
science, bordering on illiteracy, on the part of this
article. The stilted and very imprecise use of terminology
in this article also a basic lack of scientific understanding
on the part of this article.

For some information on Sonar go read "Sonar" at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonar

"...the glass rocks found in the Libyan
Desert present a grade of transparency
and purity (99 percent) that is not typical
in the fusions of fallen meteorites, in
which iron and other materials are mixed in
with the cast silicon after the impact."

1. LDG varies greatly in transparency from being almost
transparent to being either translucent or opaque. There
is nothing about its transparency that preclude LDG from
being an impactite.

2. The percentage of silica in LDG matches the percentage
of silica found in sandstone bedrock that underlies the
areas in which LDG has been found, the location of at least
two impact structures near the area containing LDG; and
larges areas of the desert surrounding both the impact
structures and where LDG is found.

3. The LDG does contain extraterrestrial material derived
from meteorites / an asteroid mixed in with it. This Epoch
Times article is completely wrong about the absence of an
extraterrestrial component being presence within LDG.

A few of very many pertinent papers:

Abate, B., Koeberl, C., Kruger, F. J., and Underwood, J.
R., 1999, BP and Oasis impact structures, Libya, and their
relation to Libyan Desert Glass. In Dressler, B. O., and
Sharpton, V. L., eds., Gpp. 177-192. Geological Society
of America Special Paper no. 339.

Barrat J. A., Jahn B. M., Amosse J., Rocchia R., Keller,
F., Poupeau G. R., and Diemer E., 1997, Geochemistry and
origin of Libyan Desert glasses. Geochimica et Cosmochimica
Acta. vol. 61, no. 9, pp. 1953-1959.

Fudali, R. F., 1981, The major element chemistry of
Libyan desert glass and the mineralogy of its precursor.
Meteoritics. vol 16, pp. 247-259.

Kleinmann, B., 1969, The breakdown of zircon observed
in the Libyan desert glass as evidence of its impact
origin. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 5,
pp. 497-501.

Koeberl, C., 1996, Libyan Desert Glass: geochemical
composition and origin. In: de Michele, V., ed.,
pp. 121-131, Special publication of the Sahara Journal
- Silica '96. Proceedings of the Meeting on Libyan
Desert Glass and Related Events, July 1996, Milano.

Koeberl C., 2000, Confirmation of a meteoric component
in Libyan Desert Glass from osmium isotopic data.
Meteoritics & Planetary Science. vol. 35 (Supplement),
pp. A89-A90.

Koeberl C., Rampino M. R., Jalufka D. A. and Winiarski
D. H., 2003, A 2003 Expedition into the Libyan Desert
Glass Strewn Field, Great Sand Sea, Western Egypt.
Proceedings of the meeting on Large Meteorite Impacts
(2003), Lunar and Planetary Institute, USRA, Center of
Advanced Studies, Abstract no. 4079.

This epoch times article also stated:

"However, this doesn't explain how two of
the areas found in close proximity in the
Libyan Desert show the same pattern the
probability of two meteorite impacts so
close is very low."

Part of the problem here, is that the people who promote
the Libyan desert glass (LDG) as evidence of ancient
nuclear warfare ignore the fact that the LDG occurs as
erosional lags produced by the erosion, transportation
and redeposition of pieces of it over a period of millions
of years. Contrary to poetic descriptions by various
alternative archaeologists and early geologists, the "
glass fields" are not primary deposits formed by the either
the original airfall, base surge, or in place melting of
local sand. Rather, the LDG occurs as secondary, even
tertiary, concentrations, created over 26 million years,
of the more resistant pieces of LDG. The original Neogene
deposits, which either contained the LDG or on which formed
or fell have been eroded and the LDG released from them,
possibly transported some distance; and concentrated as
an erosional lag on the ground surface. As a result, the
current distribution of LDG likely is unrelated to its
origin. The present distribution of LDG reflects what has
happened to it over the last 26 million years instead of
how it was created.

Finally, the Epoch Times article states:

"Nor does it explain the absence of water
in the tektite specimens when these areas of
impact were thought to be covered in it some
14,000 years ago.'

1. The intense heat of formation of LDG is perfectly capable
of explaining its extremely low water content.

2. The LDG formed about 29 million years ago, not 14,000
year ago as this article incorrectly states above. Given
the age of LDG, it is impossible for this material to have
any connection with modern humans and manmade objects such
as nuclear weapons.

A few of many pertinent references:

Horn P., Müller-Sohnius D., Schaaf P., Kleinmann B. and
Storzer D., 1997, Potassium-argon and fission-track dating
of Libyan Desert Glass and strontium and neodymium constraints
on its source rocks. In: de Michele, V., ed., pp. 59-73,
Special publication of the Sahara Journal - Silica '96.
Proceedings of the Meeting on Libyan Desert Glass and Related
Events, July 1996, Milano.

Matsubara, K., Matsuda, J.I., and Koeberl, C., 1991, Noble
gases and K-Ar ages in Aouelloul, Zhamanshin, and Libyan
Desert impact glasses. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
vol. 55, pp. 2951-2955.

This article fails to provide any convincing evidence that
there is any connection between LDG and ancient nuclear
warefare and that LDG is not an impactite. This Epoch Times
article does provide a lot misinformation and simply ignores
any research that contradicts its preconceived notions about
how LDG might have formed.

Source: Paul H

Meteor/Meteorite News- More K-T / K-Pg Boundary Papers 9NOV09

More K-T / K-Pg Boundary Papers

Below is another PDF file containing information about the
K-T / K-Pg Boundary event.

1. Rapid Environmental/Climate Changes And Catastrophic
Events in Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene: RECCCE
Workshop, IGCP 555 European Group Meeting Abstracts
and Excursion Guide April 25th – 28th, 2009 Gams, Austria

Workshop and Joint Seminar coorganized by Austrian
Science Fund FWF, Russian Foundation for Basic Research
RFBR, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austrian Committee
for IGCP), University of Vienna (Center for Earth Sciences),
Geological Survey of Austria, Nature Park Eisenwurzen, and
Styrian Nature Park Academy

http://www.geologie.ac.at/filestore/download/BR0078_001_A.pdf

The link to this publication is found on the "Cretaceous"
publications at http://jurassic.ru/cretaceous.eng.htm

as

Rapid Environental/Climate Changes and Catastrophic Events
in Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene. RECCCE Workshop.
IGCP 555 European Group Meeting Abstracts and Excursion
Guide April 25th – 28th, 2009 Gams, Austria // Berichte
Geol. B.-A. 2009. Bd.78. 74 pp.

2. Another paper is:

Prauss, M. L., 2009, The K/Pg boundary at Brazos-River, Texas,
USA — An approach by marine palynology. Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. vol. 238, no. 3-4, pp. 195-215.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.09.024

3. Finally free PDF files of a number of more papers about the
K-T / K-Pg Boundary can be found in "Christian KOEBERL,
Univ. Professor Dr. List of Publications" at:

http://www.univie.ac.at/geochemistry/koeberl/publikation_list/

This web page has all many other PDF files of papers about
other impact craters, impactites, meteorites, and related topics.

Source: Paul H.

Meteor/Meteorite News- Sudbury Impact Ended Creation of Banded Iron Formations 9NOV09

Sudbury Impact Ended Creation of Banded Iron Formations

There is a new paper published in the November 2009 issue of Geology
that argues that the Sudbury Impact in Canada ended the creation of
Banded Iron Formations during the Precambrian.

The paper is:

Slack, J. F. and W. F. Cannon, 2009, Extraterrestrial demise of banded
iron formations 1.85 billion years ago. Geology. vol. 37, no. 11, pp. 1011-1014,
doi:10.1130/G30259A.1

http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/37/11/1011.abstract

Previous Geological Society of America Meeting abstracts can be found at:
http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2009AM/finalprogram/abstract_162145.htm

and http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2008AM/finalprogram/abstract_146662.htm

Other web pages:

Banded iron formation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banded_iron_formation

Banded Iron Formation
http://jersey.uoregon.edu/~mstrick/RogueComCollege/RCC_Lectures/Banded_Iron.html

Geologic evidence for major environmental change
http://tiny.cc/BandedIronClimate

http://academic.udayton.edu/MichaelSandy/Global%20warming%20powerpoints/Geologic%20evidence%20for%20global%20change.ppt

Source: Paul H., Baton Rouge, LA, USA