It sounds like the plot of a black-and-white, sci-fi B-movie: Rural residents hear a steadily increasing loud noise that crescendoes into an explosion, after which they find an “object, metallic in nature, created a crater 41 feet in diameter [and 16 feet deep] and produced a seismic shock equivalent to a 1.5-magnitude earthquake. . . .” Many then complain of illness, nausea, headaches, and a foul odor.

But this is not science fiction, this really happened on Saturday, September 15, 2007, in southern Peru, near the Bolivian border. Meteorite Causes a Stir in Peru, dated September 21, 2007, in the LA Times tells the story: “Since then, hundreds have reported maladies, including headaches and nausea. But experts said the reactions probably were imagined. There is no evidence of radiation at the site, officials said. ‘Those who say they are affected are the product of a collective psychosis,’ said Jorge Lopez Tejada, health department chief in Puno, the nearest city.” Fortunately, due to the sparse population of the area, no one was hurt at the impact site.

The reported odor, however, does have some merit: When the heat from the rock, obtained from friction with the atmosphere, was transferred to the earth, it caused some boiling and chemical reactions involving elements like sulfur.

The news story account continues: “‘Now that various experts from Japan and other countries have assured us there is nothing bad, we have decided this belongs to us,’ said Benito Mosaja Pari, 56, who called himself the village lieutenant governor. ‘We’re going to dig it out. The scientists tell us this was part of a world that fell apart. It has some value.’” Experts believe the rock is probably about 3 feet in diameter. Living in Peru.com reported confirmation of the rock as a meteorite based on a content analysis of a fragment. It is classified as a chondrite.

How to Turn This News Event into an Inquiry-Based, Standards-Related Science Lesson

What should students know about meteors? How can a 3-foot diameter rock create a 55-foot diameter, 16-foot deep crater (measures reported in the Living in Peru.com story)? Where does the heat carried by the meteorite originate? What effects do the force and heat of the meteorite have on the surrounding environment? What materials does a meteorite deliver to the earth? What is the origin of the meteorite?

The Earth and Space Science Content Standards for grades K-4 and 5-8 of the National Science Education Standards (NSES) speak to objects in the sky and their predictable motions, although they do not mention meteors or meteorites directly. However, meteorites can be related to the Physical Science Content Standards:

• Properties and changes of properties in matter

• Motions and forces

• Transfer of energy

This story also illustrates the social impact of the meteorite event and its relation to personal health and safety, an additional domain of the NSES.

Here are some additional resources that are part of the NSDL Middle School Portal collection to facilitate your instruction regarding meteorites: Asteroids, Sweet Meteorites and Meteor Crater Map.

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