Event at Aplao, Peru Feb 2nd 2004

[Goldfinger]

Hi Everyone:

I'm writing a general paper on an event that happened near Aplao,Peru on Feb 2nd,2004.

Here's the link:http://geocities.com/astroycpa/meteoritoaqp2feb2004.html

It's in Spanish and can be translated using Babelfish or Google text translations.


I have no knowledge of astrophysics whatsoever and would like to ask a few questions. I know there's going to be a lot of variables but I was just hoping some some general responses.

Assuming a density of 3.3 grams per cubic centimeter, how large would the mass have been to create an explosion that produced a 3.8 reading on the Richter scale?

I have other questions but I'll just start with this one first.


Thanks

Steve

 

[lippyka]

The exact answer to your question is not possible to provide without a lot more information. Generally, the larger the mass of the meteorite, the greater the energy released when it explodes in the atmosphere. The energy released is related to the size of the Richter scale reading, but it cannot be determined exactly without more data. In general, the larger the mass of the meteorite, the greater its potential to produce a large Richter scale reading.