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Meteorites Bring In Commercial and Scientific Interest Associated Press January 31, 2003 PHOENIX - While earthbound treasures have long been the staple at the annual Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show, meteorites have increasingly taken the spotlight with their aesthetic forms and their otherworldly allure. >From meteorites that are studded with gems to seemingly ordinary lumps that could contain answers to the solar system's origins, these specimens aren't just valued by scientists anymore. "The spiritual and magical were associated with these huge, smoking hot pieces of iron landing at your feet. People believed they were sent down from heaven," said Robert Haag, a renowned meteorite hunter-dealer who's known as "The Meteorite Man." "They're very, very popular, collectible like stamps and coins, but they're extremely unique and valuable scientifically. It's an everyman's space program." Haag is one of the increasing number of meteorite merchants who will sell, exhibit and auction off some of these celestial souvenirs at the Tucson show, a $77 million behemoth that brings in close to 50,000 people each February. Today, the nearly 50-year-old event, which has mainly showcased mineral and fossil specimens, gemstones and jewelry, is also one of the largest exhibitions in the world for meteorites. "Before the '90s, no one bothered to differentiate between the aesthetic and non-aesthetic meteorites," said Darryl Pitt, curator of the Macovich Collection, whose meteorites come from institutions such as the Smithsonian and the Natural History Museum. About 115 meteorites from the private collection will be auctioned at the Tucson show Feb. 9. The entire show runs from Jan. 30 through Feb. 17. "Some were visually striking; they evoked the works of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Umberto Boccioni," Pitt said. "At these first auctions, they brought prices from out of this world. The media coverage was so extensive that it inspired many to find more." Indeed, landing sites of these falling treasures have lured more and more hunters, and some, like Haag, have offered local people rewards for recovering the meteorites. Their value depends on various factors, including their scientific significance, aesthetic quality, years on Earth, origins in space, size and interesting stories about their fall to Earth, Pitt said. "A meteorite that landed on the grass could be worth $15 a gram, but if the same meteorite hit a car in the driveway, then it could be worth $100," Pitt said. While relatively few meteorites are extravagantly expensive, a handful sell for 1,000 times the price of gold, such as a $16,000 gram of Martian meteorite that was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive chunk of Mars ever sold. The increased interest has generated more meteorites for collectors and for science. "People being aware of meteorites has helped the rate of discovery," said David Kring, associate professor of planetary studies at the University of Arizona. In 2000, Kring, Barbara Cohen and Timothy Swindle wrote a report on lunar meteorites, which support a theory that a swarm of asteroids or comets may have wiped out Earth's life forms 3.9 billion years ago. Kring recalls significant specimens found by locals, including a gold prospector who happened upon the Gold Basin in northwestern Arizona, over which an asteroid exploded. More than 4,000 meteorite samples have since been recovered from that area. Haag hopes that more people take an interest in meteorites. "If you find a meteorite in your yard or your field, you can make a discovery of huge proportions," said Haag, who will sell several hundred meteorites from his collection on Feb. 7 through Feb. 11 at the show. "It's like treasure hunting, but you don't have to live on a beach in Florida, you can find one in the corn fields of Kansas." The Tucson show, which started in 1955 and has shown meteorite exhibits since the early 1970s, has traced their popularity through the years. "In the late '70s, a dealer might have two or three meteorites," said Bob Jones, author of the forthcoming "The 50th Anniversary of the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show." "But in the last 10 years, there were more people who believed in the power of the convergence of earth that imbued some sort of magical, mystical power to these things." ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
