Hi List,
I can't agree more with Rob's points and to expand on #2 and somewhat
obviously...
I do not agree with Carl's remarks, I don't understand how anyone could
basically ask the question "what use is strewnfield data"? Seems rather
inconsiderate of the science.
2a) For new meteorite falls it's important to record the data for proper
mapping of the strewnfield simply to locate other stones. This provides
data for ground mapping of the entire strewnfield and allows the the
prediction of distribution of material in future falls.
This when combined with all the others is perhaps the most important
part of meteorite hunting next to the actual petrography. Without this
data we would have no idea where to search for meteorites, the dynamics
of any given meteorite fall, nor what to look for on future meteorite
falls to predict the location of specimens in any given circumstance.
Combining the petrography of multiple falls (50-100 or more) of the same
type with available strewnfield data you can predict more accurately
what will happen in with future meteorite falls, and more directly when
viewing fireball videos you can make an educated guess as to type and
distribution "before" a meteorite is recovered, especially when you take
into account the dynamics of the fall. Eventually with enough data
collected you could theoretically predict not only the location of the
fall (once an NEO is spotted) but predict it's type based on all the
data gathered from previous falls.
It's an exciting science meteoritics...
Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA
On 3/9/2010 1:19 PM, Matson, Robert D. wrote:
Carl asks:
I don't yet understand why people put so much importance on find
co-ords and strewnfields. It has not only been pointed out by another
important list member that "A meteorite does not care where it lands".
(Ted Bunch).
You may be quoting Ted out of context. Yes, a meteorite doesn't care.
But people do, including many researchers. Recording find coordinates
serves at least five purposes that I can think of, right off the bat:
1. In situ photographic provenance. If a meteorite becomes separated
from
its identifying documentation, a photograph in the field with a GPS unit
is an excellent way to reestablish its identity. This can be very
helpful
when a meteorite has been sent to a lab for analysis, and its label gets
lost or the sample confused with another meteorite at that lab.
2. For recent falls, it can help tell you something about the dynamics
of the fall, such as the entry azimuth (being careful to account for
wind drift), and terminal burst vs. multiple fragmentation.
3. For finds, it is a necessary (but not by itself sufficient) metric
for establishing likely pairings.
4. With find coordinates and care with pairing, it becomes possible to
estimate minimum annual meteorite fall rate based on the number of
unpaired finds over a carefully surveyed area.
And most valuable to the finders working an area:
5. The distribution of find coordinates may provide evidence of fluvial
and aeolian transport. This can greatly enhance meteorite recovery rate
by transforming a two-dimensional search problem into a 1-dimensional
boundary search.
I'm sure others can add more to this list. The point is, just because
one person doesn't believe recording find coordinates is important
doesn't mean it isn't valuable to someone else. So by failing to do
so, either through ignorance or apathy, a hunter is destroying
scientific data.
--Rob
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