Desert Messenger

January 15, 2014

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22 www.DesertMessenger.com ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS Balls of Light and Falling Rocks! By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ On February 15, 2013 in Siberia, a fireball lit up the sky, shattered windows, and destroyed buildings. Sonic booms and explosions were heard, fires started, people screamed and cried, chaos ensued. It was the grand entrance of another meteorite into our world. Shortly afterwards, the scramble to find pieces of Chelyabinsk, the new space rock, began. Here in Arizona, we also have plenty of opportunities to find meteorites. But what exactly is a meteorite, and how do you find one? What distinguishes meteorites from earth rocks is an iron-nickel combination that is not found on earth. Tektites, moldavite and impact breccia are associated with meteorites, but are not actually meteorites themselves. Tektites and moldavite are terrestrial material, usually silica, that is melted from the energy of the impact and then ejected into the atmosphere at extreme velocities. They later fall back to earth and are again melted as they travel through the atmosphere. Impact breccia, also called impactite, is rock that is made up of pieces of stone that were broken during meteoritic impact and fused together from the heat. DOGGIE DENTAL PECIAL OW SOFF *SH 15 $ ICE* ULAR PR REG Stop by or Call F or Appoint ment! Non-Anesthesia Teeth Cleaning For Dogs and Cats… Safe • Gentle • Experienced • Affordable Sell-A-Rama....................January 17-26, 2014 Arts & Crafts Show....January 31- Feb. 9, 2014 Tyson Wells Showgrounds Row P Space 29 & 30 760-913-7007 January 15, 2014 Meteorites are divided into three main groups: irons, stony-irons, and stones. Irons are made up of between 90 to 95 percent iron and up to 7% nickel, with the remainder made up of trace amounts of other metals. The iron-nickel alloy in iron meteorites forms in a distinct and complex interlocking crystalline pattern known as Widmanstatten Bands. Irons are further classified into Coarse or Fine Octahedrites based on the width of the Widmanstatten Bands. Iron meteorites were once part of the core of a planet or large asteroid. the most difficult to find because they look the most like terrestrial rocks. Stony meteorites once formed part of the outer crust of a planet or asteroid. Stones contain mostly silicate material with small amounts of nickel-iron metal. Some stones contain tiny grains of colorful inclusions called chondrules. Chondrules are grains of matter that originated in the solar nebula. Chondrules are the oldest known matter, pre-dating the formation of our planet and solar system. Stony meteorites containing chondrules are known as chondrites. Stones that do not contain chondrules are called "achondrites". The stony-irons consist of half nickel-iron matrix, and half olivine crystals. They are the least abundant, and the most beautiful, of the three types. Stony-irons form in the intermediate zone between the core and the mantle of the parent body which consists of silicates and nickel-iron material. There are two types of stony-irons: pallasites and mesosiderites. Meteorites can be found anywhere, but typically in arid environments with less vegetation they tend to be the best preserved and most easily found. Large concentrations of meteorites are called strewn fields. Strewn fields are typically associated with a specific fall or group of falls and may or may not be accompanied by a crater. The most abundant type of meteorite are the stones, but they are SEE ROCKS PAGE 47 ' Here we go again! We are loaded with goodies! Furniture, Glassware, Yard Art, Antiques, Collectables, Linens, Jewelry. Lots of Vintage Items...and Great Prices! NOW OPEN!H Hope to see you here! 315 E. Ironwood, Quartzsite (next to the QIA) Vendor Spaces Available OPEN DAILY 9-4 THRU FEBRUARY

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