An azimuth and a meteorite?

Question

I was told by my instructor at PLDC (SGT school) that a meteror hit the Earth and fell into one of the great Lakes, because of that and the mineral properties of the meterorite, azimith are gratly effected by this meteror, when I told someone else, they thought the instructor was pulling my leg, so was he oulling my leg??? Anyone else ever hear about this???

Answer 1

Well, he was probably exaggerating. The problem is the use of 'greatly affected.' The effects of any electrical field can be seen on a compass. But you have to be close to the cause to have the effect.

So, if you are not close to the meteor then it won't have any affect.

If you look at the map of the magnetic field of the area around the Great lakes, you will not see any strange deviation around them.

;-D Maybe he was just making the point that a compass is not always correct and that something like a large iron deposit could affect it.

Answer 2

Isn't azimuth a unit of direction? An arc of the horizon measured between a fixed point (as true north) and the vertical circle passing through the center of an object usually in astronomy and navigation clockwise from the north point through 360 degrees?

Answer 3

Are you sure you're talking about azimuths, and not magnetic north?? An abnormally high concentration of ferric (iron) content in a localized area will cause magnets to deflect some... this will give erronious magnetic bearings. I suppose you and your instructor are saying the same thing. So yes, he's right, and no, he's not pulling your leg.

Answer 4

Did you mean bismuth rather than azimuth? Bismuth is found in some meteorites, but I can't find any connection with the Great Lakes.

Answer 5

Azimuth is the horizontal component of a compass measurement, not a mineral.