At 06:29 PM 4/16/2007, ensoramanda wrote:
So if science is "losing important material for study" to
dealers/hunters/collectors of NWA's, why dont we hear much about all
the amazing research that must be coming out of the thousands of
meteorites from Antarctica? !!! Science has exclusive use of these
but I never seem to hear much exciting news about them...or am I
just not looking in the right place?
Graham Ensor, nr Barwell UK
You are looking in the wrong place. Far more important research
results have been coming from the Antarctic meteorites than from hot
desert meteorites.
I did a quick count of meteorites used in studies published in both
major meteoritics and cosmochemistry journals in 2006. Each tally
means one meteorite mentioned in one paper (if the same meteorite is
mentioned in 6 papers, it counts for 6). Here are the results:
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta:
Saharan+Oman meteorites: 22
Antarctic meteorites: 62
Non-Antarctic/non-saharan meteorites: 109 plus one paper with 50.
In Meteoritics and Planetary Science:
Saharan+Oman meteorites: 10
Antarctic meteorites: 80 plus one paper with many.
Non-Antarctic/non-saharan meteorites: 106 plus one paper with many.
The real question is, why are hot desert meteorites so miserably
UNDER-represented in the literature. I think there are several
answers, and there are probably many more:
1) Falls are often the most valuable samples for research due to lack
of weathering.
2) Research specimens of hot desert meteorites tend to be very small.
3) Hot desert meteorite are not well distributed in the research
collections of the world (especially in the US), and are much harder
for scientists to obtain.
4) All of the major Antarctic collections are well curated and have
formal procedures in place for obtaining samples.
5) Hot desert meteorite collections are useless for the study of irons.
Jeff
Greg Hupe wrote:
Hi Darren, Mike and List,
I couldn't have said it better myself! It takes a huge investment
to limp away from Morocco with a planetary or other rare meteorite
these days. I would have said "walk away", but after having to give
up your right arm, left leg, first born, etc. to get one of these.
Well, you get the idea!
Happy collecting!
Greg
====================
Greg Hupe
The Hupe Collection
NaturesVault (eBay)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.LunarRock.com
IMCA 3163
====================
----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Farmer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 4:27 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorite smugglers anger scientists
The Moroccans are smarter now than most collectors.
You will not get a lunar or Martian meteorite cheap
there now. 90% of them can recognize one in a second.
Don't feel too sorry for most of the Moroccans, they
make much more money than most of us dealers who pay
nearly retail for the material IN MOROCCO, and they
live quite well off of the meteorites. It has greatly
impacted the financial well-being of most of them
involved in the meteorite trade. I mean come on, now
they get tens of thousands of $$$ for a black rock
they picked up in the sand. How often does that happen
to someone in Germany or the UK?
Michael Farmer
--- Darren Garrison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:06:52 -0400, you wrote:
>Hello Moni and List,
>If the article is referring to unclassified
material,which would make sense,
>thereby allowing material never to reach the
scientific community, the point
>is well taken.
The problem with that argument is that from the
stories that the people who go
to Morocco tell, those nomads aren't nearly as
clueless as the article writer
claims that they are. They may have been at first,
but they learned to notice
the difference between a common meteorite and a
valuable one. Which is why
people like MF and the Hupes have to make big
negotiations to get their lunars,
Martians, and other rare achondrites instead of
getting them for 10 cents a gram
in heaps of OCs. The rare stuff is going to be
recognized by the original
dealers and sold at rare stuff prices to rare stuff
dealers/collectors.
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______________________________________________
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Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman phone: (703) 648-6184
US Geological Survey fax: (703) 648-6383
954 National Center
Reston, VA 20192, USA
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