27.04.2021 / 16:45 / Hamburg, Zoom

Particle and Astroparticle Physics Colloquium

Video Colloquium: How to find meteorites? Experience from Arabia and Switzerland

Beda A. Hofmann (Naturhistorisches Museum Bern & Institut fuer Geologie, Univ. Bern)

Meteorites are fragments of asteroids and, rarely, of Moon and of Mars. Much of what we know about the materials and origin of the solar system has been deduced from meteorites. Therefore, locating new meteorites on Earth and understanding their histories is a scientific endeavour directly connected to the quest for understanding our Solar System. The talk will provide a summary of the results of 23 meteorites search campaigns conducted in Oman and Saudia Arabia since 2001, yielding more than 7000 individual finds. Examples of results obtained these space rocks will be shown, including a unique meteorite from the Moon. The second active meteorite project concerns the Twannberg strewn field in Switzerland, now in a totally different environment. Here, a strewn field with >1800 fragments of a very rare type of iron meteorite present in a glacially overprinted landscape is investigated with the help of "citizen scientists". Some of the challenges of meteorite field research both in Arabia and in Switzerland will be discussed. This is a VIDEO COLLOQUIUM! Connection details at https://desy.zoom.us/j/99616528733, Meeting ID: 99616528733, Meeting Password: 733220

More Information: https://physikseminar.desy.de/hamburg/