Re: Meteor Vaporization?

Bob wrote:
IIRC, the impact of a meteor would result in vaporization of said
meteor due to kinetic energy. I'm not sure I understand the results of
vaporization. Are we saying matter destroyed or matter converted to
fine dust? In other words, would the vaporization result in a fine dust
cloud of particles that would settle and eventually form concretion of
meteor dust over a period of time?

Reason I'm asking, I live near a known impact site and 20-30 miles from
the site I often find a dark layer of concretion-like material 1"- 3"
thick that does not match the native soil. This layer of material
ranges from being on the surface to 3'-4' below surface, depending on
erosion. I have always wondered if this was related to the impact or
some other occurance. Just curious.

Bob

Look up Tektites on the web. Sounds like this might be what you have. Or post some photos somewhere and send a link to the group.

Mostly by 'vaporized' people mean both burned up (not destroyed as in a radioactive explosion, but such as in reducing wood to ash) and pulverized, meaning the meteor broke apart into fine sand, fragments and such. The Barringer Crater, for example, has no known 'big meteorite' of the size postulated to have entered the atmosphere, though sizeable chunks have been found. Even all those known chunks put together won't make the postulated meteor...therefore some likely was pulverized to dust and ash and blew away. Some likely did 'vaporize'--chemicals became gases and left with the explosion's plume. Think about what comes out of a volcano-- gas, smoke, ash, water vapor, chunks of rock, lava flows, heat-- and you get an idea what happens to matter when it gets really agitated.
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