Every year, I make a few presentations about meteorites and meteorite science to audiences of teachers and students. I’ve done this nationally at science teaching conventions, and locally in small high school classrooms. One thing I really enjoy is the collective gasp when I mention that eating a freshly fallen meteorite is normal, expected even. History is filled with descriptions of a newly arrived meteorite being broken up and consumed. If a meteorite fell in my town, I would likely be the only one not surprised if some of it was eaten.
I might also be the only one around who wonders what Mars tastes like. Or which type of cheese has the closest flavor to that of lunar meteorites. I even joke that asteroids are literally like a box of chocolates because not only do you not know what you’ll get in the next meteorite fall, but it might not taste good. Or maybe it will. But in my experience, it will taste like sand.
Meteorites that hit man-made objects are often called Hammers or Hammer Stones. I think there should be a nickname for meteorites with documented human consumption upon fall. Some possible nicknames could be “Food Falls” ‘Candy Chondrites” Space Snacks” or SpaceRock Candy.” But while these monikers might be witty, they fail to capture the blessings and fear that lead to the meteorite being eaten. And a side note here, I don’t know of an instance of an iron meteorite being chewed on by a human upon its fall. Let me know if you have any such documentation.
Some notable examples of SpaceRock Candy in my collection include Mbale, Uganda L5/6 that fell in 1992; Oesel, Estonia, an L6 that fell in 1855; and the diamond-filled Novo Urei., the namesake of Ureilites that fell in Mordovia, Russia in 1886. That last one must have really wreaked havoc on tooth enamel!
The arrival of a meteorite is likely a traumatic event but short-lived event for those who witness it. So it should be fully expected that anyone witnessing such a thing might let their common sense slip a little bit, and thus eating rocks from space might not be as crazy as it sounds.
Until next time….
