[meteorite-list] eBay Puzzle Rock, Again

From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:41:57 2004
Message-ID: <AF564D2B9D91D411B9FE00508BF1C8692C5E1C_at_US-Torrance.mail.saic.com>

Kelly Webb posted:

> Here's another puzzling whatzit on eBay. Is it a right or a wrong?
> It certainly is a generous and serendipitious stone, filling a gully
> with irons, stoney-irons, AND tektites, according to the poster! It
> makes me wonder why the heavens didn't throw a few pallasites in
> there, too.

> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=537996532

That's no meteorite. Geez, a geologist reads _Rocks
>From Space_ and all of a sudden he's an expert on
identifying meteorites? External appearance, density
and magnetism are hardly sufficient discriminants. (If
they were, I'd have over 100 meteorites from my desert
travels -- whoopeee!) I suspect a simple streak test
would confirm the identity of this meteorwrong.

What I don't understand is why these people are so
opposed to cutting off a corner, or at least windowing
a corner? No disrespect intended toward geologists,
but taking a suspected meteorite to one is like going
to a dentist for an eye exam. --Rob
Received on Mon 08 Jan 2001 03:42:07 PM PST