The Cosmic Connection

University of Waterloo Audiovisual Services Catalog.
"Meteorites can reveal a great deal about the solar system. A film clip is shown of a Soviet expedition in 1928 trying to discover the cause of what appeared to have been the impact area of a large meteor in Siberia. No traces of a meteor were ever found, and it is now believed that the destruction and depression were caused by something like a comet head. Men are shown at work at the Springhill Meteor Observatory of the National Research Council, plotting the paths of meteors crossing the earth's atmosphere. Next, Harvey Nanenger, a pioneer in the study of meteorites, discusses his interest in the field, and his curiosity about the effect that meteors have had upon the world's geology. The surface of the earth has many structures that appear to be impact craters. A series of experiments shows how an impact crater is formed, and then Meteor Crater, Arizona, is examined, showing many of the same features. Other craters in the Canadian Shield are viewed, and the narrator states that they have endured because of the durability of the granite which is the base of the Shield. Erosion obliterates features, but we can study the action of meteors on other planets, notably the moon, which has no atmosphere and little erosion. Astrogeologist William MacCauley examines the craters on the moon and compares the structures with similar ones found on Mercury. Next, he examines the canals, canyons, and a volcano on Mars, which are all on a grand scale. There is some erosion there, but the craters are still visible. Mercury and Mars testify to the severity of planetary meteor bombardment. The narrator concludes that the surfaces of other planets help provide us with a better, and more complete history of the earth."