Renowned scientist Richard Pugh will give a free presentation about meteorites at the Hermiston Public Library on Thursday, July 10.
The event, presented by the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory of Portland State University, begins at 6:30 p.m. in the library’s Lanham Room.
Pugh, a meteorite scientist who travels worldwide to search for and research these rocks from space, will bring $10,000 worth of meteorites with him and he encourages those attending to pick up and handle the meteorites. According to scientists, in Eastern Oregon there is likely at least one undiscovered meteorite lying on the earth’s surface within every half square mile.
“The eastside of the state is most intriguing to scientists. We know that there are meteorites out there and that it’s just a matter of time until they are found,” Pugh said.
He asks that anyone with a rock that he or she thinks may be a meteorite, to please bring it to the local library event for identification. Most meteorites are heavy, magnetic and irregular in shape, often with indentations that resemble thumbprints. They often appear rusty with a thin black or brown burned coating from being hurled through space.
This program is sponsored by the nonprofit Libraries of Eastern Oregon in partnership with local libraries and the Friends of the Hermiston Public Library.
For more information, call 541-567-2882.
