Earth Science 1086F Final Meteorites

Front 1

What do we call the study of meteorites?

Back 1

Meteoritics.

Front 2

What are finds and falls?

Back 2

Finds are meteorites you find on the ground. A fall is a meteorite you saw fall to the ground

Front 3

What classification methods are there for meteorites?

Back 3

Stones, stoney-iron, and iron. Later renamed aerolites, siderolites, and siderites respectively. Stones have been subdivided into chondrites and achondrites. Chondrites can be carbonaceous meaning they have organic matter. Achondrites are a type of igneous rock that form when magma (molten rock) crystalizes. The material left behind when magma crystallizes is called residual and achondrites from this type of rock is called primitive achondrite.

Front 4

Define chondrule.

Back 4

Small inclusions in chondrites.

Front 5

Define Ablation.

Back 5

Erosion process by removing small masses.

Front 6

Define inertia.

Back 6

Resistance to a change in motion. The force required to change an objects motion depends on the objects momentum. Momentum is a product of mass and velocity.

Front 7

What is the formula for kinetic energy?

Back 7

Ek=1/2mv^2. Therefore kinetic energy increases with the square of velocity but only the first power of mass.

Front 8

Define regmaglypts.

Back 8

Depressions found on some meteorites which form by ablation.

Front 9

Define fusion crust.

Back 9

Layer of glass formed on a meteorite as a result of the rock melting.

Front 10

What king of microscope do geologists use to study meteorites?

Back 10

Petrographic.

Front 11

What is an electron microprobe?

Back 11

An instrument that fires electrons at a meteorite to tell us what elements exist in it and in what proportions.

Front 12

What is a mass spectrometer?

Back 12

An instrument that measures the amounts of radioactive isotopes in a meteorite in order to determine its age. Works by measuring the amount of a parent isotope and amount of daughters stemming from that daughters breakdown.