Abstract
IN a recent article1 Prof. H. Pettersson describes his investigations of samples of deep-sea deposits in which were found metallic spherules, mostly less than 250µ in diameter, to which it is reasonable to ascribe a meteoric origin. These occurred in several geographical regions and in layers of various geological ages, and among the conclusions reached is the following : “In general, the number of spherules is greatest in the more recent sediments. Nevertheless, substantial numbers of spherules were found in layers of Tertiary age : this contradicts the assertion made by some authorities that no meteors fell on the Earth during that time”. A reference identifies the “authorities” mentioned as the late Prof. F. A. Paneth, who, in a paper in Vistas in Astronomy 2, wrote : “The result of our discussion is that glass meteorites fell on our Earth only during the late Tertiary and early Quaternary ; that iron and stone meteorites did not fall before the late Quaternary ; that centuries ago the fall of iron meteorites was a much more common phenomenon than to-day ; and that even since 1800 meteorite falls seem to have become noticeably rarer”.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Endeavour, 19, 142 (1960).
Vistas in Astronomy, 2, 1686 (1956).
See, for example, The Origin of Meteorites (Halley Lecture, 1940, Clarendon Press, Oxford).
See, for example, Bernal, J. D., Nature, 190, 129 (1961).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DINGLE, H. The Frequency of Meteorite Falls throughout the Ages. Nature 191, 482 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/191482a0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/191482a0
This article is cited by
-
Frequency of Meteorite Falls throughout the Ages
Nature (1962)
-
Frequency of Meteorite Falls throughout the Ages
Nature (1962)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.