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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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