Most of us have seen the movie Armageddon, or
at least know the plot; an asteroid is on a collision course with the
Earth and could spell certain doom and disaster for the planet and its
inhabitants. Popular television shows on The History Channel and other
stations show a 'what if' scenario should an asteroid or large meteor
strike happen in populated places, and makes for good entertainment.
The reality is, these kind of things have happened many times in the 4
billion year history of Earth. Billions of years ago as the universe
was being born, hundreds, or thousands, of meteors and small asteroids
struck the planet on a regular basis as planetary bodies slammed into
one another, raining the rocky debris into the atmosphere. Most smaller
meteors or meteorites are torn apart and disintegrate due to
atmospheric friction, but occasionally, some penetrate through the
volatile conditions and strike land.
Perhaps the
best and most poignant example of a stellar strike is what scientists
believe caused the extinction of the great dinosaurs some 65 million
years ago. An asteroid or comet plunged into Earth near the Yucatan
Peninsula of Mexico and created a worldwide destructive event that
killed off the vast majority of plant and animal live. This may not
have been the first mass extinction event; scientists now hypothesize a
much earlier event may have happened between the Triassic and Jurassic
period that also wiped out much of the life on Earth. Another incident
in 1908 in the remote regions of the Ukraine involved what scientists
believe was a comet that exploded in the atmosphere. That explosion
caused widespread destruction to the area, which was thankfully
uninhabited. Kentucky has been no stranger to these cosmic events, but
with much less catastrophe.
There are three documented
meteor strike zones in Kentucky significant enough to leave a lasting
scar. One such zone was mistaken for a volcano from 1887 until 1968.
The Jeptha Knob is located in Shelby County between Lexington and
Louisville and is a 425 million year old impact site that caused the
Earth to rise above the surrounding countryside, creating what's called
an astrobleme. Another strike occurred near Versailles some 440 million
years ago. The town of Middlesboro sits inside a 300 million year old
meteor crater that struck the area adjacent to the Cumberland Gap. The
evening of November 15, 1902, residents in Bath County were shaken by
the sonic boom of a meteor that struck five miles southeast of Salt
Lick.
Around 7:45 p.m., residents in Ohio, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia observed a
brilliant streak in the sky as a meteor burned across the upper
atmosphere. People in each of those states described the stellar light
show as a "bright streak, like a roman candle; starting off dim and
growing in intensity". John Richards' published account in his book
An Illustrated History of Bath County states
that an eye witness in Owingsville said the streak started low above
the horizon and grew almost as bright as daylight for about five seconds
before disappearing. A loud sonic boom was heard over Owingsville in a
southeasterly direction toward Preston or Olympia, followed by a low
rumbling sound.
Meanwhile at White Sulphur Springs, near
present day Clear Creek Lake, Buford Staton heard the noise and went out
to investigate the sights and sounds above. Observant scientists and
curious people also traced the path of the falling object, but weren't
sure of the exact point of impact. The next morning, Mr. Staton found a
piece of peculiar rock embedded in the ground along the roadway almost
directly in front of his home. Scientists from Kentucky and Ohio had
studied the path and deducted from the azimuth calculations that the
meteor should have struck somewhere near where it was found. A day or
so later, Buford Staton became a sort of local celebrity when word got
out of his unique find. Staton sold the piece to W.H. Daugherty for a
sum of fifteen dollars. Scientists arrived within the next few days to
inspect the piece of extraterrestrial rock and documented it as being a
polygon shaped, crusty, black piece eight and a quarter by six and a
half inches, weighing about thirteen pounds. They also deducted that
this must be just a fragment of the meteor that had broken off from a
main body, as this small specimen couldn't have made such a spectacular
entry from space. The piece changed hands again when Mr. Daugherty sold
it to Professor Harry Ward of Chicago for $300. Eventually, the
fragment found its way to the National Museum in Washington, D.C. and
officially called the 'Bath Furnace Meteorite'.
Once at the
museum, Professor Merrill studied the composition of the meteor
fragment and determined that it was made of nickle, iron, olivine and
pyroxene. Other metallic deposits were scattered in the rock, mostly of
rare elements not normally found on Earth. Professor Merrill
officially designated it as a chondrite, a type of meteor that hasn't
been melted or altered from the original body mass. Back in White
Sulphur, local residents hunted for the remainder of the meteorite, and
after the new year, Dick McCarty found two smaller pieces weighing a few
ounces each. These fragments found a home at the State A&M College
in Lexington and officially called 'Bath Furnace 1 & 2'.
In May,
1903, Hugh Pergram noticed some trees that had the bark skinned off and
branches broken high atop them while out hunting about a mile and a half
from Buford Staton's home. Upon investigation, he struck lucky as what
appeared to be the main body of the meteor was located partially buried
under a grove of trees. With some help the next day, Hugh Pergram
excavated the large rock and took it to Thomas Pergram's home, where he
traded it for two mules. The meteor was triangular shaped with each
side being roughly eighteen inches long, eleven inches deep and weighed
an astonishing three hundred pounds approximately. It was a glazed
brownish-black with pitted holes throughout. Word quickly got around
and soon, college professors visited Pergram to view and attempt to
purchase it. One offer for $2400 was rejected in hopes a higher price
would be offered, but a legal process soon began over the rights to the
meteor. The space debris was found on the land belonging to the heirs
of Clell Ewing, who laid claim once it was discovered the meteor was so
valuable. Their argument was that since the meteor fell upon their
property, they were the rightful owners. Thomas Pergram refused to
relinquish the piece to the Ewings, and a lawsuit followed. Before the
suit came to trial, both parties made an agreement; the Ewing heirs
agreed to pay Thomas Pergram $300, with understanding if the meteor sold
for more than $1200, Pergram was to receive one-fourth of the amount.
The
Bath Furnace Meteors gained national attention through scientific
publications of the day and the fragments were displayed in various
science centers. The largest piece and the smaller thirteen pound
fragment was eventually purchased and placed in the Ward-Coonley
Collection. These pieces were also featured at the 1904 Louisiana
Purchase World's Fair and viewed by hundreds, including visiting
dignitaries from other nations. The Smithsonian Institute voiced
interest in the Ward-Coonley pieces of the Bath Furnace Meteor, but an
agreement could not be reached. The pieces are now housed at the Field
Museum in Chicago. Other meteors have struck Earth since the 1902
incident, but no more in Bath County. Each year there are various
meteor showers that give a sometimes spectacular show in the night sky,
but nearly all the ones seen burn up before they pass the atmosphere. A
meteor streaked across the sky recently in Russia, causing a sonic boom
that shook buildings and shattered windows for many miles. With modern
technology by NASA and other observatories constantly watching the
skies, should a large asteroid or significant meteor pose a danger to
Earth, there will be some advanced warning. While it is unlikely, a
small meteor can, and at some point will again, strike the planet
creating a flurry of social activity, anxiety and awesome wonder.
The
pictures are from the Field Museum and Ward-Coonley Collection, and are
of the actual meteor fragments found in Bath County.
