First a Little Bit About Meteorites:
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, astroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.
When the object enters the atmosphere, various factors like friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate that energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star or falling star; astronomers call the brightest examples “bolides.” Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create a crater.
Meteorites that are recovered after being observed as they transit the atmosphere or impact the Earth are called meteorite falls. All others are known as meteorite finds.
Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories: stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites that are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel; and, stony-iron meteorites that contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material.
Modern classification schemes divide meteorites into groups according to their structure, chemical and isotopic composition and mineralogy.
Meteorites smaller than 2 mm are classified as micrometeorites.
Extraterrestrial meteorites are such objects that have impacted other celestial bodies, whether or not they have passed through an atmosphere. They have been found on the Moon and Mars.
The Kitchener Meteorite
The Kitchener Meteorite narrowly missed hitting golfer Orville Delong, who was near the sixth tee, at the Doon Valley Golf Course. Mr. Delong heard the sound of an object passing near to him; there was no fireball or loud sounds. He picked up a small black rock buried to a depth of about 2.5 cm in the soft earth and grass of the green, close to where he stood, and wondered if what had almost struck him might be a meteorite. He noted a distinct odor on the stone.
The finder contacted John Rucklidge, and he confirmed a freshly fallen meteorite. On the weekend of July 19, 1998 graduate students at U of T, and members of the Canadian Space Agency's Meteorites and Impacts Advisory Committee scoured the fall area, to search for additional meteorites, but nothing else was found.
The fall was publicized in local media, and in October 1998 an agreement was reached to obtain the Kitchener meteorite for science, by payment of a year's golf fees for Mr. Delong. The Kitchener Meteorite was sent for molding and casting, and plaster casts were professionally painted to resemble the original. One of these replicas, can be seen here, at the Doon Valley Golf Course. The original specimen was split in two using a diamond wire saw, half is kept at the U of T Department of Geology, while the other half is in the National Meteorite Collection at the Geological Survey of Canada, in Ottawa.
To log this EarthCache:
Using the information found at GZ, answer the following Questions:
1) What was the time and date that the Kitchener Meteorite made impact with the Earth?
2) Where in Space, is it believed that the Kitchener Meteorite likely originated?
3) (Fill in the Blank) The Kitchener Meteorite is the _____ meteorite to be recognized in Canada.
4) At GZ, you will see a cross-section of the Kitchener meteorite. Describe what you notice about this specimen: textural appearance, colour, grain size, alignment of minerals . . .
5) After reading the cache page, and and the information provided at GZ, what type of a meteorite do you believe the Kitchener Meteorite is.
Although not necessary for logging this EarthCache, you may wish to observe the replica of the Kitchener Meteorite, which can be seen at the Doon Valley Golf Course.