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Iron meteorites 'buried in Antarctica' by the Sun
BBC ^ | 02/17/2016 | Jonathan Webb

Posted on 02/22/2016 9:23:26 PM PST by BenLurkin

Antarctica is known by meteorite specialists as a fruitful hunting ground, because the rocks are collected from their landing sites by glacial flows and transported to concentrated dumping-grounds.

...

Among this Antarctic haul, however, researchers have noticed that iron-rich meteorites - whether partly or wholly made of the metal - are surprisingly scarce, compared to the percentage collected in other places around the world.

Dr Joy and her colleagues think they may have discovered why.

They froze two small meteorites of similar size and shape, one made of iron and the other rocky and non-metallic, inside blocks of ice. A special lamp was trained on the ice from above, to mimic the rays of the Sun.

Both meteorites, on repeated trials, melted their way downward through the ice block. But because the metal conducts heat more efficiently, the iron meteorite sank further, faster.

The researchers then expanded that observation using a mathematical simulation. Their model showed that this Sun-driven burrowing would be enough to cause iron-rich rocks to sink so much during the long summer days that, over the course of the year, it would account fairly precisely for the lack of iron space rocks welling their way to the surface of the Antarctic "stranding zones".

"The idea is, they never make it to the surface. They're forever trapped, 50-100cm or so below the ice," Dr Joy explained.

That means, if the team's findings are to be believed, that the hunt is on

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: antarctic; antarctica; catastrophism; impact
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1 posted on 02/22/2016 9:23:26 PM PST by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

It took them a research grant and study to discover that metal conducts heat better than rock?


2 posted on 02/22/2016 9:27:18 PM PST by LukeL
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To: LukeL

Them there science fellers sure is smart, ain’t they.

L


3 posted on 02/22/2016 9:29:07 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: BenLurkin

Why don’t they just get a good metal detector? Something that will pick up a lump of iron at a meter down in ice?


4 posted on 02/22/2016 9:29:16 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: LukeL

And they never thought to dig another 4 or 5 feet down.

It took a large grant for that.

L


5 posted on 02/22/2016 9:30:40 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: LukeL

Hey, well...somebody’s gotta pay the freight for all this....

CA....


6 posted on 02/22/2016 9:31:22 PM PST by Chances Are (Seems I've found that silly grin again....)
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To: LukeL

It took a small experiment to calculate how deep into the ice the iron meteorites travel, The article says nothing about a separate grant. This is probably something they did in a day or two. Pretty clever approach.


7 posted on 02/22/2016 9:35:05 PM PST by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: Kirkwood

It’s the trip down south (at $500,000.00 per person per session) plus transportation and training and the research grants for two years that brings their climate change request into the 92 billion in three years that Obola has been spending.


8 posted on 02/22/2016 9:39:22 PM PST by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Lurker

They had the wrong science fellers, I reckon. You start with a BS, where you know a little about most everything. Then you get a MS where you know more about a lot less, then you get a PhD, where you know everything about next to nothing. Too top heavy...


9 posted on 02/22/2016 9:39:23 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

PhD: Piled Higher and Deeper.

L


10 posted on 02/22/2016 9:40:55 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: Smokin' Joe; Lurker
Why don't they just get a good metal detector?

Because they don't want to scan all of Antarctica by hand?

The meteorites on the surface can be seen from far away. They need to use some sort of detector than can spot the hidden meteorites from far away - perhaps radar or ultra-high sensitivity magnetic field detectors.

11 posted on 02/22/2016 9:52:29 PM PST by wideminded
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To: Smokin' Joe

With the possible exceptions of physics and mathematics.


12 posted on 02/22/2016 9:53:52 PM PST by onedoug
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To: wideminded

How about a magnetometer? Pull it on a sled behind dogs or an ATV. They won’t have to do the whole continent by hand. They are in an area where the meteorites are concentrated by ice movement so that limits the area to cover, too.


13 posted on 02/22/2016 9:56:10 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: BenLurkin

Antarctica is known by meteorite specialists as a fruitful hunting ground, because the rocks are collected from their landing sites by glacial flows and transported to concentrated dumping-grounds.

...

I never knew that. I wonder if they’ve ever found a large collection of meteorites in areas that are now warm or underground that used to be glacial in ancient times.


14 posted on 02/22/2016 9:58:55 PM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: LukeL

The same grant provided the money to come up with the global Warming hoax.


15 posted on 02/22/2016 11:10:59 PM PST by 353FMG
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To: Kirkwood

I think it is a neat project they did. This will perhaps be one of those things no one really thought about before that will seem obvious after the fact.


16 posted on 02/22/2016 11:17:29 PM PST by Wilhelm Tell (True or False? This is not a tag line.)
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To: BenLurkin

Dog turds in the snow do the same thing...


17 posted on 02/23/2016 6:08:39 AM PST by laker_dad
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To: BenLurkin

Well, shoot far. That splains why my car hood gets hot in the sun.


18 posted on 02/23/2016 6:13:01 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you really want to irritate someone, point out something obvious they are trying hard to ignore.)
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To: BenLurkin

Must be those super smart Rocket Surgeons working on this government grant.


19 posted on 02/23/2016 6:16:40 AM PST by Travis T. OJustice (I miss my dad.)
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To: wideminded

ground penetrating radar in a towed array.


20 posted on 02/23/2016 6:18:02 AM PST by Travis T. OJustice (I miss my dad.)
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