http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=65145
PRL to unravel meteor mystery Ahmedabad Newsline (India) October 7, 2003 Ahmedabad: A piece of rock is the centre of attraction at Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad these days. The 250-gm rock piece that holds the promise of unravelling the many mysteries of solar system, is a part of the meteorite that landed in Orissa on September 27, and has been brought here by a team of PRL scientists. Although the scientists here are not sure of the age of the rock at the moment, looking at the chondrules (small rounded structures on the rock), they say it appears to be part of some of the most primitive material in space. Scientists say since the rock is radioactive, tests can reveal its age and its detailed study will help them infer what happened in the solar system way back. "This rock (meteorite) is no ordinary piece of stone, as it has in it imprints of the changes that have taken place in the space during the last 4.6 billion years," said a scientist from PRL who visited Orissa. PRL scientists say the iron veins in the rock suggest that after its formation, the rock was subjected to intense heat, following which iron must have flowed into the cracks. A meteorite is a piece of extra-terrestrial solid mass that has survived atmospheric friction and landed on earth. Scientists say when these pieces of extra-terrestrial rocks orbiting the solar system collide with each other, they leave their orbits and travel through earth's atmosphere to land on earth. Usually, a major chunk of the rocks burn during their passage, but whatever matter survive the friction and reach the earth are mines of information. Scientists at PRL say these "meteoric rains" are very important as they provide us with "free samples" of rocks from space. PRL scientists said the rock will be a subject of intense study to find out details about its mineralogy, composition, history and various other factors. ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
