Meteorite crashes in Monahans
By Gary Shanks
Staff Writer Midland Reporter TelegramThe Monahans Police Department has temporary custody of a meteorite fragment that struck the ground in a small housing development in the northern part of that city, Sunday.
The meteorite shown brightly as it arced across the Permian Basin, between 6:45 and 7 p.m. Sunday, sparking numbers of calls to the Midland and Ector County sheriff's offices as well as the Monahans Police Department.
From Midland, the meteorite could be seen burning brilliantly high in the sky, even though there was still sunlight and blue sky. The meteorite left a smoke trail pointing west, according to reported sightings.
An astronomer at the McDonald Observatory theorized that the meteorite could have contained copper among its metallic ores, explaining the greenish tint to its glow as it passed over Midland.
The meteorite continued on this path for a few seconds before exploding into several small, white-hot fragments which quickly vanished, according to a local eye witness to the event.
In Monahans, a group of youths were playing basketball when a chunk of this meteorite landed with a thud, causing the youths to investigate, according to Allen Martin, news director for the KLBO Radio station, which is located near to the site of the meteorite fragment.
Monahans residents who witnessed the meteorite's passage through the sky reported a "boom" as well as the bright light, Martin said.
The fragment was burned black and had a texture like chipped concrete, although it was reportedly "very dense," Martin said. "It was charred black as night," he added.
The oddly-shaped meteorite was eight to nine inches in length, about four inches wide and about two inches thick and weighed about five pounds, Martin said.
It struck the ground within 50 feet of five homes, Martin said. "It landed right in the middle of them," he said.
While still warm when it was found, several people hefted the fragment before Monahans police suggested that testing it for radioactivity might be wise, Martin said.
The fragment is being kept at the police department today. People were still milling about the site late into the evening, he said. "It has stirred up quite a bit of excitement for around here," Martin said.
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