Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-12-19
Earth Saved From
Meteorites by
The ATMOSPHERE

Cambridge, Mass, December 10
(AP)-How the earth'S atmosphere
serves as a protection against the
hundreds of millions of meteors
hurting through space with the re-
suit that fragments of only few OF
them reach the earth in the form OF
meteorites is described by DIR. George
Perkins Merrill. DIR. Merrill. who is
head curator of the department of
geology in the u. S. National
Museum at Washington. recently de-
livered series of rather technical
lectures on meteorites at the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology and
Harvard University. President Sam
uel w. Stratton of Technology re-
marked that DIR. Merrill knew more
about this subject than any other
man in the world.
In an informal explanation of what
science has learned about meteorites
DIR. Merrill while here commented on
the recent fall of a meteorite in
New England and on the Geminid
shower of shooting stars" which
make a brilliant display every De-
cember. He said that the reported
finding of this particular meteorite in
New Hampshire had not been veri-
that it had taken a somewhat diff
ferent direction and had passed over
Maine. Altogether only three
meteorites ever had been found in
New England. he added.
1.-THE meteorite," said DR.. Merrill,
lis a fascinating object because it is
the only tangible thing that comes to
us from beyond the earth's atmos-
nj esry ,I,t To
terial of which the rest Of our solar
system is composed. indicating that
it is exactly similar to that of the
earth, for no element not found on
the earth ever has been discovered
in a meteorite. Indeed. if it can be
determined. as seems probable. that
some meteorites have come from
outside this solar system it may be
taken as showing the universally Of
matter. So IL we are to discover any
new elements we might as well
search here at home.
The astronomers figure that some
four hundred million meteors are fol-
lowing their long trails. Head-on
collision with many of these might
result disastrously for the earth were
1t not for the atmosphere which
constitutes our armor plate. Here
is the earth travelling through space
without visible means of support-a
vagabond. Yet its atmosphere pro-
tects it from serious attack by the
meteors. Most of them fly to pieces
or are burned up when their orbits
bring them within this atmosphere.
Only a few fragments survive to
reach the surface of the earth as
meteorites. The number Of known
meteorites in the world is less than
a thousand and their total weight is
less than two hundred tons.
THE evidence seems to show that
instead of hitting the earth head-on
the metecrs which penetrate our at
mosphere usually are travelling i'm
the same direction but faster so that
they overtake the earth. So when a
meteorite falls it does not have the
terrific force that might be expected
it is like boy coasting down hill
on sled who runs into another sled
which Is travelling slower; the i'm
pact doesn't do much damage. The
greatest depth in the earth at which
a meteorite has been found is eleven
feet. Most of them merely dent the
surface and many are found entirely
above ground. If meteor does come
hcdu-oH tHc atmosphere appears TO
check its course abruptly and instead
of coming with the full force of its
previous momentum and fragment
which may survive falls to the earth
by gravity. p
"Meteorites which have been found
vary in size from tiny fragments to
a few weighing several tons, like the
37-top specimen which Peary
brought back from the Arctic. The
type runs as higd as 80 per-
cent iron. The stony type has some
iron in it but occasionally this runs
as low as two percent. In every case
nickel is combined with the iron. In
a moist climate like New England a
meteorite disintegrates rapidly, so
that most of those found long after
their fall have been in arid regions.
mo scientist has been lucky
enough to be on the spot when a
fell. Such a man would be
able to make observations as to the
angle of the fall which might make
it possible to determine whether the
object came from within or without
our solar system.
while the meteorites are compos-