Re: Excalibar and Eogan's apologizes

[Terry Theisen <ttheisen@ezwv.com>]

Poster: Terry Theisen <ttheisen@ezwv.com>

Well, its not often I can add anything to discussions on the Merry Rose,
but I've done a little mundane work on meteorites in a quest for an elusive
MS degree. This in no way endorses either side of the Excalibar debate, but
I don't think speculation is out of line as long as the speculation and the
facts are kept in orderly piles. 

>At 11:52 AM 4/15/98 -0400, you wrote:
>
>Poster: Gene Bonar <gbonar@auspex.com>
>First, from what little research I have been able to do, meteorites don't
>work this way.  Meteors tend hit the earth as close to pure iron as you are
>likely to find. 

Actually, few are pure iron although they're closer to pure iron than would
be found on earth naturally. Most are a combination of iron and nickel with
some carbon common. Does anyone know how well iron-nickel does in a forge?

>Then there is the question of quantity.  The amount of steel to form a
>sword would make a big hole in the ground, such that the Romans would have
>mentioned it.  Is there such a hole?  
>
Most meteors explode in midair. You can end up with a good size scattering
of interesting looking metal chunks spread over a large area. Depending on
the angle at which the meteor struck, there may not be an "average" crater.
There are geologic formations all over the US being reevaluated all the
time as meteor strikes. 

Being a geologist, I have no idea how much iron it takes to make a sword.
But one of my astronomy professors had a meteorite he was using as a door
stop that was a good 45#. Would that be enough? 

>I am trying to live a fantasy.  I only come out of the fantasy long enough
>to make money, pay bills and feed the cats.  But knowing whether there was
>a steel sword in 500CE doesn't add the importance of the myth or of
>Excalibar as a symbol.  
>
You're absolutely right. But there are other people who have more trouble
suspending belief. I, for one, don't want to live in a fantasy. A rational
world with lots left to explore and understand is far more appealing to me.
I want to know why things came to be- either rock formations or
mythologies. We'll never know for sure, but as long as no state, federal or
scientific laws are violated, what's wrong with thinking about it? 

Generica 
    who's obviously been away from her rocks working on intranets for too
long. 

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Terry Theisen                              ttheisen@ezwv.com
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