Years ago, there was a children's book written about a headstone that supposedly was from a meteorite that someone saw fall. It was in Michigan somewhere.
Being involved with Meteorites, my sister got me the book for Christmas one year, and since it was all illustrated in artwork, rather than with real photos, I couldn't tell by looking if it was real or not. But, one of my expedition roadtrips took me up into Michigan, so I researched and found where the cemetary was.
When I arrived, I quickly found the headstone, and it was obviously a big piece of granate and not a meteorite.
Stories like this are not unusual. Someone sees a meteor fall, and it looks like it landed "Just on the other side of those trees" so the next day they go out and look for the meteorite, only finding something they "hadn't ever seen before" and they determine that it has to the meteorite.
When in fact, if you are near a bullseye, the meteor will burn out about 12 miles up, STRAIGHT above you. The rock will slow down, burn out, several seconds later you will hear one sonic boom for every piece of the meteorite that broke up (if there are many pieces, the sonic booms will be "stacked on top of each other") then 4 or 5 minutes later of "Dark Flight" the rocks will hit the ground, falling virtually vertical.
Hollywood has programed us to think the fireballs hit the ground blazing.
If someone sees a meteorite land "just on the other side of those trees" really it landed hundreds of miles away, if it landed at all, as most burn up completely in the atmosphere.
Rocks that are presented as real meteorites being used as headstones ARE at risk of being stolen, as greedy thieves, not knowing they are "meteor-wrongs" instead of meteorites will be tempted to sneak in and steal the rocks at night.
They make good stories for children's books though.
Steve
