The Meaning of Meteorites
By Dr. Ted Nield. Thousands of tonnes of meteoritic material lands on Earth every day, mostly unnoticed. Occasionally in Earth history, very large impacts occur and can have a dramatic effect on the history of life. However, despite what most people think they know about the end-Cretaceous extinction, dinosaurs were not destroyed by a single cause, and large meteorites may not always be harmful to life. Ted Nield surveys the ways impacts have influenced life on Earth, and suggests that, as with ideas, meteorites have 'timeliness', because the effect of any single cause, in human as in Earth history, is controlled largely by the context in which it occurs.
| The Meaning of Meteorites |
| Related Links |
| Catastrophe This is a Channel 4 documentary series presented by Tony Robinson, telling the story of the catastrophic events that shaped planet Earth. |
| Earth: Making of a Planet This is a documentary by National Geographic Channel, telling the story of planet Earth from its birth 4.5 billion years ago, through ice-ages and the dinosaur's reign to the first humans. |
| Asteroid Impacts with Earth Asteroid impacts have played a dramatic role in the history of Earth. Small and frequent events the size of Chelyabinsk meteor of 2013 are visible reminders that large and destructive events such as the Chicxulub impact 65 million years ago may have changed the course of life on Earth. |
| Fallen Stars: All about Meteorites This presentation will describe general meteorite classifications, important and historical finds, scientific studies, and will include actual samples to help people understand the world of meteorites. |
| Geology in Space: Meteorites and Cosmic Dust Geology no longer is the study of the Earth. Rocks are found throughout the universe on other planets, asteroids and comets and as debris ranging in size down to the tiniest pieces of stardust. |
| The Planets This course will introduce basic physics, chemistry, and math to understand planets, moons, rings, comets, asteroids, atmospheres, and oceans. |