Lorton at the Smithsonian?
Greg S.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/042010/04022010/536642
Smithsonian discusses the rare, recent Lorton Meteorite
Date published: 4/2/2010
ON Jan. 18, 2010, a very rare astronomical event occurred in our area as a
meteorite crashed through the roof of a medical office building on Richmond
Highway in Lorton.
This meteorite, before it ended its journey in Northern Virginia after
traversing outer space for billions of years, was seen streaking across the sky
by people along the eastern seaboard as they made their way home from work that
evening.
The meteorite, which eventually landed in an examining room at 5:45 p.m. when
the medical building was still occupied, was about the size of a fist and
weighed about two-thirds of a pound. It was a stone chondrite, the most common
type of meteorite, and had a black fusion crust on the outside from heating as
it entered Earth's atmosphere. But, contrary to popular thought, a meteorite is
not hot or on fire when it finally reaches Earth's surface.
The meteorite is estimated to have been traveling at more than 200 mph when it
crashed through the roof of the building. According to the Smithsonian
Institution, it was the first known meteorite fall in Virginia since 1924, and
the fourth known fall recorded in the state overall.
The Lorton Meteorite, as it has become known, was sent to the Smithsonian for
identification with the intent to donate. However, there is a pending legal
issue between the medical building landlords and the doctors who rent the
building space regarding ownership of the meteorite.
A market exists for meteorites, especially ones like the Lorton Meteorite that
are seen by many people as they fall to Earth. Meteorite hunters examined the
area near the medical building in Lorton days after the fall in hopes they
would find more pieces of this meteorite.
If more pieces of this meteorite are found, a big payday could occur for the
lucky meteorite hunters. For now, the Lorton Meteorite remains at the
Smithsonian, with the intent to put it on public display once the legal issues
are resolved.
If you think you've found a meteorite, there are some tests you can conduct on
the object, according to the Smithsonian's Mineral Sciences Division.
Meteorites usually have a black fusion crust and a smooth surface from
atmospheric heating. They do not look like local rocks and usually are without
holes or pits. They are heavy, solid objects that will attract a magnet.
Even if your object passes these tests, it does not mean you've found a
meteorite. The Smithsonian in Washington will test samples to determine whether
the object is an actual meteorite. What you hold in your hand could be a rock
from outer space!
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