Saige Sunier
February 27, 3013
Earth Science Core, Block C Even
Ms. Davies
In
Russia, Ruins and Property Spared by Meteor, Side by Side
Citation:
Moscow., Andrew E. Kramer;
Ellen Barry Contributed Reporting From. "In Russia, Ruins and Property
Spared by Meteor, Side by Side." The New York Times. The New
York Times, 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/world/europe/in-russia-property-ruined-and-spared-by-meteor-share-space.html?ref=space>.
A meteor
hit and city of Chelyabinsk, Russia on February 15, 3013. Although the rock
from space exploded before hitting the Earth much damage was done. For miles
there were buildings with freshly shattered windows. However, the damage is
seemingly random. One family had every window of their house broken while their
neighbor’s house was left perfect. Many do not understand why two homes, side
by side, would not get similar, if not the same, damage. The destruction results
of the waves sent off by the meteor. It is believed by scientists that this
space rock is the largest to come through the atmosphere since 1908. The
unusualness of such a large rock with such great effects was also noted. Over
one thousand people were injured and hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged.
This meteor lets scientist and people everywhere see the type of repairs that
would be needed and the costs of fixes that would have to be put in to any
meteor falling near civilization. The shattered glass is a result of the
pressure waves with a low-frequency called infrasound. These waves bounce off
of buildings, walls, etc. They are very random in their victims. The waves can
be attracted to certain streets and take out all the glass or they could be
stronger a couple streets down. They are impossible to predict; although,
nuclear blast sensors used during the cold war can detect them. They also
travel very far very efficiently making even more damage. The waves have been
reported to pass through windows without shattering them and instead destroying
glasses and plate inside the house. This is because the waves could have been
weak passing through the window but once hitting the inside can bounce off of
walls and get stronger. Once the waves stopped and all damage was done the
repair teams came out. First emergency officials were sent to hospitals, roads,
factories, military facilities, and any other crucial sites to assess the
damage. Happy to report, most were undamaged. Teams of safety inspectors were
also sent to look at Lake Cherbarkul. This usually frozen solid lake was opened
by the meteor’s waves and immediate action was taken to ensure that no bad
chemicals were being released from the freshly exposed water. Although tested
for isotopes that are created from nuclear explosions, nothing was discovered. The
most damage reported was at a steal factory. The roof, made of concrete and
steel beams, collapsed and became all mangled. The most shocking behind this
example of destruction is that a completely glass walled three-story building a
couple yards down was completely untouched.
The
importance of this article speaks for itself. The meteor hit recently and
spreading the word of the damage is essential. From experiences we, as a
society, can learn how to respond to events like this. Being able to respond to
natural disaster is part of sustainable development and if we cannot learn from
the effects that happen we will not be able to respond in efficient ways in the
future. Space is a vast place that we are constantly searching to know more about.
When something from the unknown comes to Earth learning from it is very
important. From just this event
scientists have been able to expand their knowledge about infrasound waves and
their randomness. I chose this article because I had heard about this meteor
but did not know much about it. I wanted to learn a little about it and on the
damage that it resulted in. It is important for me, and everyone, to be aware
of what happens in other places around the world. Scientists got a chance to
look into nuclear energy again and watch old technology come alive. It is
amazing the power that came from such a small rock. This event is important
because it makes us think more about what has happened on the Earth before and
what could happen and how these events could alter the planet forever.
This
article was well written and really brought its points across. The author
managed to include a lot of facts and discoveries while keeping it interesting.
Although I found it pleasing to read, the article did get repetitive. The
author used a lot of examples of damage and it ended up being too many of the
same type. This evidence helped the author explain clearly how destructive the
invisible waves are and the randomness of their attack but there is only so
many times he can use shattering glass as an evidence. The article also seemed
to jump around a lot. This technique was good at keeping the article
interesting but it interrupted the flow. The author would randomly put in bits
about science then jump back into examples. I feel if he was to go with this
style he should of tried to create a more fluid tone throughout. Overall, I
think it was a great article that did a good job introducing meteors and the
damage they can have. It got me thinking more about larger meteors and space
objects that come down on us and change our planet.
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ReplyDeleteOverall, I really enjoyed reading Saige’s response as I had seen the videos, but didn’t really understand why these things occurred. I really enjoyed how Saige described the damage the meteor caused and then connected that aspects of the meteor. For example, she talked about the shattered glass and then connected it to infrasound, or pressure waves that are very hard to predict. Also, I thought Saige did a good job of comparing the damage between tow buildings close in proximity. For example, she talked about how the steel factory took most of the damage, but a glass walled building only a couple of yards away remained untouched. This comparison intrigues me to figure out why one building could be destroyed, while another remained intact. Finally, I enjoyed how Saige talked about what we can learn from this. She talked about how this event gave scientists a better understanding of infrasound waves and their randomness. Also she talked about how an event like this can teach us how to respond in case a similar event occurs.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading Saige’s response, I developed a better understanding of infrasound and how random it can be, bouncing of certain structures, but destroying others. Also, I learned that this was the largest rock to come through the atmosphere since 1908, which is pretty interesting as well. It has been over 100 years since a rock of this size has come through our atmosphere, which means this is a pretty cool event, but also shows the importance of our atmosphere.
Overall, Saige did a pretty good job, but like most people, she contained some grammatical errors, which can be easily fixed. I also think it would have been cool if she described some of the damage in more detail or if she included a quote from a person who experienced the event. Other than that, she did a nice job.
I read Saige Sunier’s current event report on the article entitled “In Russia, Ruins and Property Spared by Meteor, Side by Side.” Saige’s current event report was well done. She did a good job explaining the relevance of the information that she presented. Her critique was well written explaining what the article could have improved on. I thought that her analysis of the article was very insightful. Her summary of the article and the facts provided by the author were very detailed and left the reader with a good understanding of what and how it occurred. For example, her explanation of the infrasound waves helped the reader understand the causes of the damage. Overall, I think that Saige made the report interesting at the same time as finishing the tasks that were stated in the rubric.
ReplyDeleteI think that Saige’s current event report was well done and included many interesting facts. I was especially surprised that two homes, which were side by side, could sustain completely different damage. Similarly, I was surprised that a completely glass walled three-story building was untouched, however a steal factory a couple yards down experienced the most damage. The magnitude of the damage was startling with over one thousand people injured and hundreds of homes and businesses damaged. I was astonished that one meteor could make such an enormous impact. I was also surprised that infrasound waves are impossible to predict. This makes me scared that if a meteor hits the United States, we may be in harms way since we will not know when it may happen. Also, since the infrasound waves are unpredictable, we would not know which building would be safe. Therefore we would not know where to hide.
Overall, the blog contained many good facts and interesting analysis. However, she could have improved the blog. Her blog had too many grammatical mistakes. She should have re-read her report more thoroughly before putting it on the blog. Even though the blog is supposed to be informal, she still should proof her work to make it error-free. For example, in the first sentence she wrote “a meteor hit and city” instead of the city. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the blog since I learned a lot from it regarding the impact of meteors.
I thought that Saige’s current events report on the meteor strike in Russia was a very relevant and interesting read. Saige presented the science behind the randomness of the meteor effects very well, explaining the pressure waves that the meteor waves sent off in an easily understandable way. This part was particularly interesting to me, because on the news you do not usually hear much of the science behind the actual meteor, just the effects it had on Russia. A second part of the report I found to be well presented was her second paragraph explaining the importance of the strike. I agree that it is essential that we learn from this strike and prepare for more that are bound to happen in the future. Thirdly, Saige’s critique of the article seemed well thought out and genuine. Pointing out how the flow of the article was not good due to the author jumping over from science to examples and back was very different from the other critiques I have read by other students and it was very strong. It was interesting to learn about the randomness of pressure waves given off by the meteor. I was especially impressed by the part Saige included about how some waves passed through windows, but then broke plates inside houses. I never knew before reading this that meteors gave off pressure waves and it was cool to see the explanation behind why so much glass broke due to the meteor. Another interesting aspect of Saige’s report was the example she used about the randomness of the waves and damage of them in the destruction of a factory in Russia. I found it astounding that a roof of concrete and steel beams could collapse, while a three story building made of glass could be completely untouched and stand only a few yards away. Overall, Saige’s current events report was very strong and very interesting to read, but there is always room for improvement. I think that she could have proof read her work for grammatical errors (as the other comments have previously stated), and also I think that the first paragraph could have been structured in a more clear way. For example, she could have put the steel factory example closer to the beginning where initially stating how random the effects were, instead of sticking it at the end.
ReplyDelete