What term describes the process where intense friction causes material to melt and blow away during atmospheric entry?
Answer
Ablation
When a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, the friction generated by the dense air creates extreme heat. This intense thermal energy leads to the melting and subsequent erosion of the object's exterior surface. The specific process whereby this outer layer melts and is stripped away, blowing off into the atmosphere, is formally termed ablation. This phenomenon is responsible for sculpting the surface features of surviving meteorites. Furthermore, the rapid melting and subsequent cooling of this ablated material often results in the formation of a thin, dark coating known as the fusion crust on the surviving specimen.
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