Confusion over fragments rock after Shrewsbury 'meteorite' scare
Confusion reigned today about rock fragments which rained down on a Shrewsbury home, as a leading meteorite expert suggested it may have been caused by an underground explosion.
Dr Caroline Smith, curator of meteorites at The Natural History Museum, today said
could have been caused by a faulty underground electrical cable exploding and catapulting rocks up into the air.
A similar incident happened in York in 2001 after a short circuit in an underground electricity cable caused a massive explosion, leaving a hole in the ground up to 3ft deep.
Onlookers at the time thought a smouldering meteorite lay at the bottom of the hole until the real cause was found.
Dr Smith, who has been an expert in her field for the past 16 years, said a faulty underground cable exploding might explain both the burning smell and the fact the rocks appeared to fall from the sky.
Schoolteacher Sarah Marston-Jones was left convinced her home had been hit by a rare meteoroid shower on Tuesday morning after rock fragments scattered the garden, narrowly missing her two sons who were playing on a trampoline at the time.
But Dr Smith said: "I am extremely sure that these samples are not meteorites.
"There are reports of some fall meteorites (those that have been seen to fall) smelling of sulphur or bitumen but this is fairly unusual and also certainly not an intense smell that fills the air.
"If I were pushed to speculate I would imagine a scenario where somewhere near Sarah's house an electrical cable has exploded. Rocks have been thrown up and subsequently landed in her garden."
She added that some of the rocks found in Mrs Marston-Jones' garden appeared to be covered in soil, suggesting they had been buried underground at some point.
"It looks like 'clinker', which is another name for industrial slag, and used for road and paving stone," she added.
