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Re: Monahans warning



>
>Dear Listees,
>With the impending ‘auction’ of Monahans, here is a little more information 
to consider.
>According to Zolensky, et al in the paper published on Monahans in NIPR #23
 journal this year :
>
>1: "The most likely paragenesis for the halite is asteroidal brines. If this
 origin is correct, then fluid inclusions may be present." 
>
>2: "Exposure of the meteorite to a humid environment would certainly have
 caused dissolution of the halite/sylvite, and bleaching of the halite. 
Exposure to heat or light would also cause the blue color to be bleached out.
 In other words, if not noted withi!n a few days of it’s fall, any halit
epresent in a chondrite may be routinely overlooked or destroyed. It is
 therefore possible that halite is commonly present in chondrites, but has
 been overlooked. It is also possible that a fraction of the sulfate/halide!
> efflorescence noted in Antarctic meteorite is derived from halite, rather
 than from indigenous contaminants in ice."
>


This is very interesting.  I wonder if Holbrook has some salts present
in its matrix, as I have found pieces in the field that are terribly
weathered, and no farther than a 100 feet away, in the same type of
soil there have been found specimens in nearly pristine condition.

Perhaps some of the fresh ones that were fully crusted and picked up
in 1912 should be examined for the presence of salts.  The salt may
not have been distributed evenly throughout the matrix of the meteoroid,
and this could explain why today pieces are found that range from very
weathered to almost perfect.

Steve Schoner

 
>
>

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