Media Reviews: Chasing and Repoussé

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites
by O. Richard Norton
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 2002, Hardcover, 11" x 8-3/4", 354 pages, $50.00.

Reviewed by June Culp Zeitner

Almost everyone is entranced by these fiery visitors from the sky. Where do they originate? How do you know if you have found one? How many fall to Earth? What kind is the rarest? What is the largest? Are they dangerous? At last, here is a book that will not only answer all of your questions, but take you on a journey through the skies of the centuries and the landing fields of celestial rocks.

Noted astronomer and meteoriticist Dr. Norton, author of Rocks from Space, has been director of leading planetariums and has designed optical telescopes and the hemispheric projection system which is the forerunner of Imax. He founded Science Graphics company, producing science teaching aides used by over 3,000 universities. Norton is also a Contributing Editor of the journal Meteorite.

The smallest meteorites are interplanetary dust. The largest are over 200 kilometers in diameter. There are 20 classes of meteorites. The most common minerals in them are iron, nickel, olivine, and hyperthene. (For gem enthusiasts, some of the olivine is facetable. Diamonds have been present in others.) Several times reports have hinted at “fossils” in a meteorite, but this has never been proven.

Chondrites are of particular interest to me, since I mistook one that my father-in-law found for a terrestrial rock. Chondrites alone have five classes, and one of these, carbonaceous, has numerous subdivisions with various textures and inclusions.

Many meteorite falls have been witnessed, some inflicting damage on vehicles or buildings, but the scientific study of meteorites is quite recent. People are alert to the chance of finding a space visitor, so tens of thousands of meteorites have been found since the mid-1900s, when only 2,000 were known. Irons are the easiest to recognize, but there are also stones and stony irons. Some meteorites are found strewn in fields. Since the serious study of meteorites began, many craters have been identified, including the gigantic Chicxulub crater, believed by some to be responsible for the K-T extinction during which so many species disappeared.

There are so many questions about meteorites that Norton discusses in his book, readers gain a new appreciation of the complexity of this great science. There are sections about the age of the universe, asteroids, Martian meteorites, and lunar meteorites.

The book covers this new science thoroughly. It is well-written and understandable, with exceptional illustrations and graphics. The six appendices and the glossary provide an additional education in this fascinating field. It is time for a complete encyclopedia on meteorites and anyone interested in the universe or Earth will find it indispensable.

June Culp Zeitner, who has been writing for the Lapidary Journal since 1956 and joined the editorial staff in 1967, is the author of nine gem and mineral books, and helped start the National Rockhound and Lapidary Hall of Fame.