Homestead is a L5
meteorite
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...
fallen in 1875 in
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
History
On the evening of 12 February 1875 above
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
a brilliant
fireball
Fireball may refer to:
Science
* Fireball (meteor), a brighter-than-usual meteor
* Ball lightning, an atmospheric electrical phenomenon
* ''Bassia scoparia'', a plant species
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''The Fireball'', a 1950 film starring ...
was observed. About 100 meteorite fragments fell over a snowy countryside area from
Amana to
Boltonville in
Iowa County. The first found fragment, a stone weighing about , was discovered by Sarah Sherlock south of
Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
*Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...
.
[Paul Garvin, ''Iowa's minerals: their occurrence, origins, industries, and lore''. University of Iowa Press, 1998]
187
/ref> The area was wooded and covered by snow, impeding recovery efforts. On 10 February a snowfall blanketed the ground, preventing the great majority of the fragments from being discovered until Spring. The main mass
This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites.
#
* 2 Pallas – an asteroid from the asteroid belt and one of the likely parent bodies of the CR meteorites.
* 4 Vesta – second-largest asteroid in the asteroid bel ...
was found along with a fragment buried in the soil.strewnfield
The term strewn field indicates the area where meteorites from a single fall are dispersed.
It is also often used for the area containing tektites produced by large meteorite impact.''Tektites in the geological record: showers of glass from the sky ...
File:PSM V07 D609 Iowa county meteorites.jpg, 1875 drawing of some fragments
File:Homestead meteorite, crusted edge.jpg, Crusted edge
Composition and classification
It is a L5 type ordinary chondrite
The ordinary chondrites (sometimes called the O chondrites) are a class of stony chondritic meteorites. They are by far the most numerous group, comprising 87% of all finds. Hence, they have been dubbed "ordinary". The ordinary chondrites are th ...
. It is also brecciated and veined.
Notes
Bibliography
* Ivanova, M. A.; Krot, A. N.; Mitreikina, O. B.; Zinovieva, N. G., ''"Chromite-rich Inclusions in the Homestead (L5) Chondrite"'', Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, volume 23, page 585, 03/1992.
See also
* Glossary of meteoritics
This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites.
#
* 2 Pallas – an asteroid from the asteroid belt and one of the likely parent bodies of the CR meteorites.
* 4 Vesta – second-largest asteroid in the asteroid b ...
External links
Encyclopedia of meteorites: Homestead
*
The Amana Meteorites
' by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs
{{Meteorites by name
Meteorites found in the United States
Geology of Iowa
1875 in Iowa
1875 in science
Iowa County, Iowa