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Re: Unoxidized Huckitta
GWG asks:
Why are there pieces of the pallasite Huckitta that are unoxidized, while
most of it is
highly oxidized?
Here is the story as I have been told by reliable sources:
As it turns out, GWG, there were very few individuals who were "mining" the
Hucketta site. One person in particular was responsible for most of the
Hucketta that found its way on the international market. Since this one
person was main source of Hucketta, essentially this one person also
decided what pieces would be released for sale.
Then that person died.
When others went through the possessions of that one person, they found
unoxidized Hucketta specimens. For an unknown reason, the unoxidized pieces
were kept in buckets at the home of the finder rather than being sold.
My personal feeling here is that the finder was either completely enamored
by them, so much so that he wanted all of them, or (more likely) he
realized the market consequences if he were to start selling unoxidized
pieces. Hence, the demand for the considerably more abundant oxidized
pieces would decline, thus limiting a primary source of his income.
For whatever reason, much of the discovered unoxidized specimens are now
available. However, this does not mean more will always be available in the
future.
It also means that the science of the nature of this fascinating meteorite
has been strained. To have such a large specimen with distinctly different
weathering is an important discovery. Was it a terrestrial cause, or an
internal mineral cause? Which parts of the meteorite contained the
unoxidized material? The top (exposed to air), the bottom (exposed to
soil), the center (exposed to neither), or a different explanation?
On a side note, there were other also specimens in the possession of the
now diseased. This means that maybe more specimen from nearby localities
may become plentiful on the market in the near future.
I hope this was the information you were wondering about. If it is the
nature of oxidation process with regard to the NiFe/silicate composition of
the pallasite, I apologize for digressing into "gossipy" matters.
Sincerely,
Martin
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