The Hays Daily News

Greensburg meteorite finds temporary home at Hays museum

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Greensburg meteorite finds temporary home at Hays museum

Published on -9/12/2007, 2:15 PM

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By MICAH MERTES Hays Daily News Five billion years since its formation and 20,000 years after it entered the earth's atmosphere, the 1,000 pound meteorite still is on the move. Greensburg's meteorite was launched into a new trajectory after an F5 tornado destroyed the town and museum in early May. And after several months of being in storage at Wichita's Exploration Place, it's hit Hays -- for the time being. The meteorite arrived Tuesday morning at Fort Hays State University's Sternberg Museum of Natural History, where it will be displayed in the front lobby indefinitely. The move took place Monday, when a trio of the Sternberg staff -- Mark Kellerman, reservations manager; Brad Penka, visitor services manager; and Greg Walters, exhibits director -- made the trek to Wichita and transported the meteorite back on a truck bed. "Meteorites are named for a fall," Walters said. "This is called a Brenham meteorite. It came in and spread out in an area that is several miles long. They continue to find smaller meteorites." The meteorite was found by H.O. Stockwell in 1949. He was able to locate it by using a World War II mine detector that he modified. Next to he meteorite is a donation box for the rebuilding of the Big Well Museum, the meteorite's permanent home in Greensburg, which was destroyed in the tornado. Many thought the meteorite was lost after the tornado, but it was discovered under debris. Pallasite meteorites, about 1 percent of meteorites, are a mixture of iron, nickel and silicates. But after the tornado, the meteorite's composition changed a bit to include pieces of broken glass, and, up until recently, a nail. Micah Mertes is a reporter for The Hays Daily News and director of The Stir. He can be reached at (785) 621-4515 or micah@thestironline.com.