GEOLOGY ARTICLE
Object that damaged home not a meteorite
04.05.2007: (As a follow-up to the article written on 03.06.2007 below . . . ) An Illinois State University geology professor says a mysterious object that crashed through a Bloomington home last month was not a meteorite. It turns out, it was a man-made object that likely came from a wood grinder at Twin City Wood Recycling. The chunk of metal went through a window and damaged a desk at the home of Dee and David Riddle at 25 Partner Place. Professor Robert "Skip" Nelson says if the object did come from the recycling plant, it would have had to travel 200 miles an hour to make it the 900 feet to the Riddle's home. The object weighs about a pound and is the size of a deck of cards.
Suspected meteorite hits home in Illinois
03.06.07: At about 9:30 Monday morning, March 5, 2007, a grayish object about the size of a deck of cards came crashing through the bedroom window and punched a hole through a computer desk inside a home in Bloomington, Illinois. After examining the object, a geology professor at Illinois State University proclaimed that the object is most likely a meteorite, rather than a piece from a satellite or spacecraft. Scientists called in to investigate have determined that the object had definitely fallen from space. The object weighs almost a pound (402.41 grams). It is about 3 inches long, 2.5 inches across and about a half inch thick. Base on the density of the object, the ISU professor determined that the object could be a combination of metals, such as iron and nickel, or heavy stainless steel. A satellite or spacecraft would most likely not contain metals as heavy as the ones whcih make up this object.
The calculated speed of the object as it entered the house was determined to be about 60 miles per hour. The steep angle of entry and the speed at which it crashed rule out the possibility that the object was thrown through the window. One professor of paleontology suggested that the object looked more manmade than natural, because of ridge along one side. The density of the object suggests that it is perhaps extraterrestrial. Further investigation will have to take place in order to determine the definite composition and origin of the object. The last confirmed meteorite impact in Bloomington was in 1938.
Information for this article was collected from a story in Geology News written by By M.K. Guetersloh (Pantagraph.com). Information presented for educational purposes under the provisions of the Fair Use Act of 1976.
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