Meteorites: Messengers from Space / Edition 1

by Fritz Heide, W. Dobler, R.S.Jr. Clarke, Frank Wlotzka

Overview

Meteorites - as well as shooting stars and meteors - result from a collision of a solid body from space with our Earth, but only meteorites are able to penetrate the Earth's protective shield, the atmosphere, and fall to the Earth's surface. Before the return of lunar samples, they were the only materials from beyond the Earth which we could take in hand and study.

This book gives a concise and up-to-date description of meteorites - fall phenomena, chemical and mineral composition, classification - as well as a discussion of their formation and origin, which also tells us the story of the formation of our Planetary System. The text is understandable for laymen and students, but can also be used as an introduction to the field for students and scientists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783540581055
Publisher:	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication date:	03/17/2004
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1995
Pages:	233
Product dimensions:	5.24(w) x 8.07(h) x 0.36(d)

Table of Contents

1 Fall Phenomena.- 1.1 Light Phenomena.- 1.2 Sound Phenomena.- 1.3 The Main Meteorite Groups.- 1.4 Effects on Landing.- 1.5 Meteorite Showers.- 1.6 Hypervelocity Impacts.- 1.7 Number and Distribution of Meteorite Falls.- 1.8 The History of Meteoritics.- 1.9 Observations of Importance for a Meteorite Fall.- 1.10 How Can a Meteorite Be Recognized.- 2 The Meteorites.- 2.1 Cosmic Dust.- 2.2 The Size of Meteorites.- 2.3 The Shape of Meteorites.- 2.4 Surface Characteristics.- 2.5 Mineralogy and Classification of Meteorites.- 2.6 The Chemical Significance of Meteorites.- 2.7 The Cosmic Abundance of the Elements.- 2.8 Isotope Anomalies.- 2.9 Organic Compounds.- 3 The Origin and Formation of Meteorites.- 3.1 Meteorite Ages.- 3.2 The Origin of Meteorites.- 3.3 The Formation of Chondrites.- 3.4 Planetesimals and the Formation of Achondrites.- 3.5 Regolith, Primordial Rare Gases, and the Solar Wind.- 3.6 The Planets.- 3.7 Conclusions.- 4 Appendix.- 4.1 Meteorite Collections and Research.- 4.2 Exchange Value of Meteorites.- 4.3 Etching of Iron Meteorites.- 4.4 Detection of Nickel.- 4.5 Meteorite Falls from 1985 Through 1993.- 4.6 Literature.- 4.7 Composition of Meteorites and the Earth’s Crust.- 5 Subject Index.

Editorial Reviews

"I enjoyed reading it and will hesitate to recommend it to friends and undergraduate students who are keen to tap at the door of this exciting discipline." Meteoritics

From the Publisher