I always thought that if it was in space it was called a meteoroid. When it hit the atmosphere , it was called a meteor. When it hit the ground, it was called a meteorite.
Rosie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Grossman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 6:21 PM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Appropriate terminology? > Frank, etc., > > Nope. You didn't understand all of what I said. The first part is > right: we don't care if there was a meteor or whether the body doing the > accreting had no atmosphere. Once the impactor survives landing, it > becomes a meteorite. If it becomes incorporated into a rock as a xenolith, > it is still a meteorite (e.g., Brunflo and the Osterplana "fossil" > meteorites found in earth rocks, and). BUT, if the rock containing the > clast itself becomes a meteorite by being ejected from its parent body and > landing somewhere else, then the clast is no longer a meteorite... it's > just a clast in a meteorite. > > We had to adopt this complex rule because otherwise we'd have to give a > meteorite name to every asteroidal xenolith found in an asteroidal meteorite. > > The second part of your question should have been phrased: > > "On another note, I was wondering what, if any, differences might be expected > in the fusion crusts on meteorites found on Mars as compared to meteorites > found on Earth?" (remember, the former are NOT martian meteorites). My > answer is, I don't know. > > jeff > > At 04:32 PM 1/15/2003, you wrote: > >Hi Jeff and all, > > > >In other words, if I correctly understand this, on another moon, asteroid or > >airless planet, the part of a meteoroid that survives impact on another body > >becomes a meteorite without an intervening "meteor" stage; (unless of > >course, it may have previously grazed an atmosphere ala the Gran Teton > >fireball of the 1960's). And once it becomes a lithified part of the > >impacted body, it becomes only a "xenolithic" clast. Easy to understand ;-) > > > >On another note, I was wondering what, if any, differences might be expected > >in the fusion crusts on Martian meteorites (those found on Mars) as compared > >to meteorites found on Earth? Any one have any ideas? > > > >Thanks, > >Frank > > > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: Jeff Grossman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 12:28 PM > >Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Appropriate terminology? > > > > > > > Alan Rubin and I advocated calling all of these things "meteorites" no > > > matter what body they were found on. Our definition was as follows, > >quoting > > > from the article: > > > > > > "A meteorite is a natural solid object that was transported by natural > > > means from the body on which it formed to a region outside the dominant > > > gravitational influence of that body and was later accreted by a natural > > > body larger than itself." > > > > > > Our exception to this rule is: "Meteorites accreting to a body lose their > > > status as individual meteorites if the rocks into which they are > > > incorporated subsequently become meteorites themselves." > > > > > > This means that a CM clast in an H chondrite that fell in Africa is not > > > itself a meteorite... only the H chondrite is. Hadley Rille and Bench > > > Crater ARE meteorites; however, had they been found as clasts in lunar > > > meteorites, they would not be meteorites, and would not be given their own > > > names by the nomenclature committee. Everybody follow this? I thought > >not. > > > > > > All of these statements are the opinion of just Alan and myself. There > >are > > > no widely accepted definitions of "meteorite." But since nobody else has > > > ever tried to define the word like we did, I guess we get the last word > >for > > > now. > > > > > > -jeff > > > > > Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman phone: (703) 648-6184 > US Geological Survey fax: (703) 648-6383 > 954 National Center > Reston, VA 20192, USA > > > > ______________________________________________ > Meteorite-list mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
