[meteorite-list] Smacked by gob

[Pat Brown]

Hi Pete and the List

The word GobSmacked is Brittish slang, Gob=face or more like the way we say 'mug' as slang for face and smacked=hit. The engineers from our sister plant in Scotland use this slang in almost the same way as we say "you could have knocked me over with a feather" , supprised usually pleasantly. 

Pat 


--- On Sat, 11/22/08, Pete Shugar <pshugar at clearwire.net> wrote:


> From: Pete Shugar <pshugar at clearwire.net>

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Smacked by gob

> To: cynapse at charter.net, meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Date: Saturday, November 22, 2008, 7:50 PM

> At the risk of going soooo  faaaar off topic as to never be

> able to find my way back,

> I ask the following:

> I readily admit that it sometimes does not take much to

> amuse me, but I find that

> the word Gobsmacked as probably one of the single most

> facinating words to ever

> appear on the internet. Please define.........

> Pete

> 

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Darren

> Garrison" <cynapse at charter.net>

> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 10:10 AM

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Smacked by gob

> 

> 

> >

> http://www.theage.com.au/national/googling-geologist-identifies-possible-meteorite-crater-out-the-back-of-bourke-20081122-6eix.html

> > 

> > Googling geologist identifies possible meteorite

> crater out the back of Bourke

> > 

> >    * Richard Macey

> >    * November 23, 2008

> > 

> > A RETIRED geologist searching on Google Earth for a

> place to mine opals may have

> > discovered something much bigger: a meteorite crater

> in outback NSW.

> > 

> > Mike Fry, of Maryborough in central Victoria, was

> using the Google site last

> > month to survey terrain when he saw an unusual

> structure in the red dust.

> > 

> > "The circular nature of this thing struck

> me," Mr Fry said. "It was so

> > distinctive, I was gobsmacked."

> > 

> > Mr Fry, who earned a degree in geology from the

> University of New Mexico before

> > coming to Australia 44 years ago to mine opals and

> gold, drove for 11 hours to

> > the site to take a look. The site is about 10

> kilometres north-east of White

> > Cliffs, a town halfway between Broken Hill and Bourke

> in far north-western NSW.

> > 

> > "I have walked around it," he said,

> estimating his "crater" was at least two

> > kilometres across. "There is a steep slope on the

> eastern side, which rises 30

> > to 50 metres above the floor."

> > 

> > The western rim was severely eroded. However, the

> eastern side had been

> > preserved under a layer of sedimentary material called

> silcrete, formed from

> > dissolved silica, that he believes was laid down more

> than 2 million years ago.

> > 

> > "Silcrete is as hard as concrete," Mr Fry

> said. "The crater had to exist before

> > the silcrete was laid down."

> > 

> > Several scientists who looked at the images agreed

> that while circular shapes

> > could be produced by many geological forces, including

> volcanic activity, the

> > feature deserved further investigation.

> > 

> > "It does look the right sort of shape," said

> Andy Tomkins, of Monash University.

> > "It is the pattern you would expect to see. It

> looks interesting."

> > 

> > Peter Haines, a senior geologist with the Geological

> Survey of Western

> > Australia, said he would remain "a bit

> sceptical" until the site was tested.

> > 

> > However, he added, "just looking at it, it's

> something that should be followed

> > up".

> > 

> > Dr Tomkins and Dr Haines said finding microscopic

> evidence of rock that had

> > suffered a severe shock would indicate an impact

> crater.

> > 

> > If Mr Fry has found an impact crater, it would be the

> second such discovery

> > using Google Earth.

> > 

> > Last year Dr Arthur Hickman, a geologist with the

> Geological Survey of WA, found

> > a crater, about 260 metres wide and up to 30 metres

> deep, in the Hamersley

> > Ranges in WA's Pilbara region.

> > 

> > Dr Haines said it was certainly possible a

> two-kilometre meteorite crater had

> > gone unnoticed. "It is not something that would

> necessarily attract the

> > attention of someone who was not already thinking

> about a crater." A crater,

> > agreed Dr Tomkins, "could easily be missed".

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