Aerolite or Meteorite.

Manawatu Herald, 15 February 1896, Page 2

Aerolite or Meteorite.

The latest cables tell us that a great panic has b?en caused in Madrid by the fall of an aerolite, which shook the city from end to end. There was a vivid glare, followed in 70 seconds by a terrific report. Several buildings collapsed, and windows were shattered in all directions. Many people were injured in the rush to escape. These bodies) of metallic mass of extra terreatial origin used to be called aerolites, but meteorite is now (heir generally accepted name among s. i ntific men. Full credence to these falls of rock from heaven was not given till the commencement; of this century when several well investigated fall? took place. Tbt) rao.it important facts with regard to meteoritOF may bo briefly stated : — They have not been found to contain any element not known to occur on earth ; they have furnished no evidence of life on the b >dy they formed a part ; they bear no indications of having baen formed in the presence of water or the ex* istence of water beyond the earth* atmosphere in the regions from which they came ; they do not exhibit abundant evidences of having had what geologists would call an igneout origin ; they are never granitic (in character, but resemble very closely certain volcanic rocks of not infrequent occurrence, with this difference, that ij the case of the meteorites the iron associates with the silicated combinations exists in the metallic form, while in the terreatial volcanic rocks it is, with rare exo ptions, oxidised. All metallic meteorites agree in that the predominating metal is iron, with which nickel is almost invariably associated. Sinoe the phenomena of meteorites began to be observed there have been extremely few falls of metallic meteorites. The observed falls of stoney meteorites, are numerous. A remarkable fact is that all the meteorrites which are known to have fallen are of infinitesinally small size as compared with the earth. The largest meteorite of which the fall was observed is that of Emraett'a County in 1879 when a con.siderable number of stones fell, the largest weighing 437 po md->. S >me masses of iron, believed to be meteorites, the date of whose fall is unknown, are ranch larger than thh. Th 4 mass of iron on the river Bendign, in Brazil, has been estimated at from 7 i-o ■ 0 tons ; that of Tucuman (Cinpho del Cielo) is said to weigh 15 tons.