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Re: Scientists not paying for meteorites?

At 10:36 AM 9/13/98 -0700, you wrote:
>I heartily endorse the attitude of giving specimens to scientists
>of new falls and finds.
>
>If the finder wished to donate parts to science that is their right,
>but to demand that they be required to do so ... hmm, I'm not so sure
>about that.
>
>On one hand, if a meteorite lands in my back yard and I have no
>effort or expense to procure it, I don't see why I wouldn't offer
>a decent sample gratis.


   Agreed. If I found one or more I would absolutely donate at least a piece
(a whole specimen if I found several) to science. No second thoughts about it. 

  With that said, a friend of mine at work hunts for antiques, he digs
around for them. He came in a few weeks ago with what he said was "an old
rock that indians used to hold down netting". It has a worn out ring around
it from the string or cord it was tied to. He handed it to me and it felt
heavier than I thought it should. I searched around the office for a magnet,
finding one I gently started moving it toward the piece....Yup, it had a
slight draw to it. Ah HA! I looked over the rock, it was well worn but in
the tiny pits I noticed what I thought could be remains of some fusion
crust. No breaks in the piece and he would NOT let me chip off a piece to
look inside. The piece weighs about 1/4 Lb. 
I told him to carefully look around the area he found it in for more, He
hasn't mentioned anything else since. I'll have to get on his case a bit I
guess. I told him I wasn't SURE it was a meteorite but it was a possibilty.
He didn't seem to care really. He said it was old and I told him if it's a
meteorite it's a HECK of a lot older than you think!

Regards,
Tom Randall

   Tom Randall            Amateur Radio - KB2SMS               
                          Mt. Beacon Amateur Radio Club / ARRL / 10-10
   trandall@idsi.net      QRV on 6m on 50.125 or 52.525 from FN31
     			  Member: AAVSO Solar Division          
   
 My Astronomy/Ham radio site: http://www1.mhv.net/~trandall/welcome.html 
           
       Opinions herein are mine and may not be that of IDSI.NET!  
 

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