[meteorite-list] Moqui Marbles
From: David Freeman <dfreeman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:34 2004 Message-ID: <3A9E701F.B5A2285F_at_fascination.com> <!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> Dear Robert and List; <br>How about a test for nickel or rare earth's content on the marbles. Would not that help distinguish terresterial/non teresterial origin? <br>Our iron concreations up here in Wyoming seem to humorously immitate human body parts quite frequently. I have a thumb, foot, and an amazingly accurate stone heart in my collection of sandstone oddities of nature. <br>Entry level rock collectors treasure their finds and sometimes have a hard time understanding that it isn't a dinosaur body part...or a paleo indian body part.... This situation seems to be just another cross to bear for the learned mineral and meteorite collector. <br>Best Rocks, <br>Dave Freeman <p>Robert Verish wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>REF: <a href="http://www.rocksnstuff.com/specimens/moqui.htm">http://www.rocksnstuff.com/specimens/moqui.htm</a> <p>Hello Matt, <p>Last weekend I had a display case at the San Fernando <br>Gem Fair in which I would show a meteorite, and then <br>right beside it, a look-a-like meteor-wrong. One of <br>these meteor-wrongs that I had displayed was a "Moqui <br>Marble", which I had labeled as a "limonite/hematite <br>concretion in sandstone". My explanation for how <br>these stones were formed started a lively debate among <br>the rockhounds in attendance at the show. <p>What I would like to ask you is what do you know about <br>the origins of these remarkably similar-shaped stones? <br> I know Dave Freeman has a comment or two that he <br>could make about these stones, but since you have been <br>doing impact-related field work close to this area, I <br>thought I would give you first crack at this topic. <p>It just so happens that one of our own brethren <br>[geologist] has muddied the waters, regarding the <br>origins of these stones. ("My sediments exactly." <br>said another geologist friend of mine.;-) <p>Here is what he had to say regarding these stones, at <br>this URL: <p><a href="http://www.rocksnstuff.com/specimens/moqui.htm">http://www.rocksnstuff.com/specimens/moqui.htm</a> <p>"This material was formed in an impact site 12 miles <br>east of Escalante UT in an area known as 'Big Spencer <br>Flat'. The 'marbles' are composed of millions of <br>molten spheres condensing on sand grains that bumped <br>into and joined with other grains to form small <br>spheres that joined with others to become even larger, <br>with the hematite/silica coating always moving to the <br>outside, but leaving a thin coat on most sand grains <br>inside. <p>"Some larger spheres cooled below the melting point <br>during this process, so all steps of it can be seen. <br>Some 'marbles' landed in sand, others in limestone, <br>and <br>some have joined in almost every way imaginable. Most <br>of the crater has eroded away, but the remnants of <br>dikes created in the impact are still visible. <p>"The principle collecting area is in the new Escalante <br>Monument, but material was deposited on top of eroded <br>Navajo Sandstone as far as Lake Powell. I have yet to <br>determine if reports from Scofield Reservoir could be <br>the same formation, or a different impact. I am sure <br>the same process has produced 'Indian Paint Pots' in <br>sandstones from many time frames all around the world, <br>and are much like 'tektites.'" <p>The above quote is from Dave Cosby, a geologist who <br>has been doing some research on the Utah area where <br>Moqui Marbles are found. Dave believes that the <br>uniformly shaped stones were the result of a meteorite <br>impact in that area. <p>While we're on this subject, here is a "heads-up" for <br>the members of our eBay "Wrong Squad" - at these URLs: <p><<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=564933699">http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=564933699</a>> <p>and <p><<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=564933715">http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=564933715</a>> <p>__________________________________________________ <br>Do You Yahoo!? <br>Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. <br><a href="http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/">http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/</a> <p>_______________________________________________ <br>Meteorite-list mailing list <br>Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com <br><a href="http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list">http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list</a></blockquote> </html> Received on Thu 01 Mar 2001 10:52:00 AM PST |
 StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit Yahoo MyWeb
|