[meteorite-list] SAHARAMET fieldwork

Mail actions: [ respond to this message ] [ mail a new topic ]
Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by thread ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]

From: SaharaTeam_at_aol.com <SaharaTeam_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:46:24 2004
Message-ID: <20.16611926.28315be6_at_aol.com>

--part1_20.16611926.28315be6_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Dear list,

 some information about our own field approach which seem to be missing :

 During a prospecting trip we have an average time of 6 hours per people
between 2 discoveries. This regroups the time we pass to open new places and
the time we pass on well known strewnfields.
 EACH of our finds is referenced independently of any commercial value, the
traceability of all our meteorites is total. Have a look at this one, 6 hours
to find the specimen, one day to cut it and prepare the reference card, two
days or more to the foundation to complete its analysis in detail. Many work
on a meteorite which will never be sold, but will finish in a museum.
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorites/chondrites/PSF21.html

 - A new point is added on the Dar al Gani (DaG) or Hammada al Hamra
(HaH) strewnfield maps:
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/map/strewnf.html

 - The final reference card is archived on CD-Rom. A representative
cut, end cut or complete individual for small ones, around 100 gr., is sent
to the foundation for definitive preservation in their collection. In the
case of real Museum pieces or particular ones, a specimen is reserved (free
donation) for the country of origin (example DaG 749, greatest Libyan find).
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorites/carbon/DaG749.html

 We still have a lot of specimens waiting for classification (October 2000,
90 finds on one month by two people, October 1999, 250 kg of recoveries
including 150 kg CO3). We have an average time of two years between the
moment we make a find and the moment the final classification is done. That's
why for example some rare specimens visible on our web site are not yet
published after one year or more, giving us time to complete the fieldwork,
especially on the rare ones.
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/Antarctic/Ant-Sah.html

 We are collaborating with the Planetary Studies Foundation, a non-profit
educational corporation. The primary purpose of the PSF is to disseminate
educational materials in the areas of astronomy, meteorites, planetary
science and space exploration. Focus areas are meteorites and Mars. It is
also the James M. DuPont Meteorite Collection which is a world class
collection and the Adopt-A-Meteorite program.
http://www.planets.org/

 We want to declaim against the plundering of Saharan strewnfields in North
West African countries. It is really an annoying affair all these meteorites
from North West Africa which swamp the market and provide, instead of a
scientific knowledge masses of questions :
 - A nomad or a dealer - Who ?
 - Possible origin - Where exactly ?
 - Is it a paired find ?
 They are sold in Morocco, stolen in Algeria a country in civil war,
Mauritania, Libya strewnfields... without data and will not be classified for
the major part of them.

 We agree with you Mr. Farmer, excepting M. Franco and his wife (who have
written a very informative book on their prospecting trips), French people
are lying to the Meteoritical Community, majority if not all Moroccan
meteorites are not found in situ, they are available in Moroccan backshops.
We are French but we have never supported French practices. We were the first
to act against Tagounite strewnfield one year ago, we continue to claim that
most of the exotic names along Moroccan border are false locations.
http://www.saharamet.com/expedition/WesternS/Tagounit.html

 You quote the Tagish Lake recovery and its poor result, few material
available for science when you know that the initial mass was 200 tons. But
isn't it a similar problem with NWA achondrites with only 28 gr. of Mars rock.
 The first step of the strewnfield work is to gather as much as possible
information from the field, especially if it is a white plateau like Dar al
Gani or a white Canadian lake where accurate data can be easily collected.
Many results will be deducted which will help to lead the searches.
 It's true Mr. Bessey that dispatching randomly a lot of people on Tagish
Lake before all the fragments fall in the water during the spring would have
brought at less twice more material than scientific method. But it's a stupid
approach. In our point of view the real interest of that meticulous fieldwork
was to deduct a precise trajectory for the fall and to start a hard trip,
perhaps 40 kilometers or more in deep forest to recover the main fragments. A
final step that the Canadien scientists have neglected. Our fieldwork
following the Libyan carbonaceous ellipse of fall going through difficult
areas is an example. Now the DaG CO3 is the third largest carbonaceous
discovery and not only 25 kg which would be the best result with a NWA
approach and random collecting.
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/map/ellipse.html
http://www.saharamet.com/desert/meteorite/prospect.html

 Regarding NWA meteorites, the start point for future searches is erased,
strewnfields are erased. Just try to find a meteorite looking aimlessly in
the great Sahara desert and tell us your results. As long as people who have
never cross a Saharan strewnfield will talk about how to conduct a recovery
trip or collect Saharan meteorites it will only lead to confuse people.

 Today we have a chance : working with GPS coordinates and accurate maps of
the strewnfields to be able to continue new discoveries for many years. A
good work can be done, everybody sharing knowledge instead of saying
slanderous things, and everybody taking time to well preserve our world
patrimony. Why not an American team joining us in the great landscapes of the
Sahara with a prospecting goal, it could be a real project.
 At the moment few competent team working in desert (Oman, Libya, ...) find
the same quantity of meteorites and rareties than the whole nomad population.
In our case, we spend only one month a year on the field. Imagine what could
be done by only 50 competent persons working 3 months a year in Sahara during
10 years.

 We will be in Rome for the Meeting of the Meteoritical Society this summer
to discuss all those points.

 SaharaMet,
Richard & Roland Pelisson

--part1_20.16611926.28315be6_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<HTML>Dear list,
 
   some information about our own field approach which seem to be missing :
 
   During a prospecting trip we have an average time of 6 hours per people
 between 2 discoveries. This regroups the time we pass to open new places and
 the time we pass on well known strewnfields.
   EACH of our finds is referenced independently of any commercial value, the
 traceability of all our meteorites is total. Have a look at this one, 6 hours
 to find the specimen, one day to cut it and prepare the reference card, two
 days or more to the foundation to complete its analysis in detail. Many work
 on a meteorite which will never be sold, but will finish in a museum.
 http://www.saharamet.com/meteorites/chondrites/PSF21.html
 
         - A new point is added on the Dar al Gani (DaG) or Hammada al Hamra
 (HaH) strewnfield maps:
 http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/map/strewnf.html
 
        - The final reference card is archived on CD-Rom. A representative
 cut, end cut or complete individual for small ones, around 100 gr., is sent
 to the foundation for definitive preservation in their collection. In the
 case of real Museum pieces or particular ones, a specimen is reserved (free
 donation) for the country of origin (example DaG 749, greatest Libyan find).
 http://www.saharamet.com/meteorites/carbon/DaG749.html
      
   We still have a lot of specimens waiting for classification (October 2000,
 90 finds on one month by two people, October 1999, 250 kg of recoveries
 including 150 kg CO3). We have an average time of two years between the
 moment we make a find and the moment the final classification is done. That's
 why for example some rare specimens visible on our web site are not yet
 published after one year or more, giving us time to complete the fieldwork,
 especially on the rare ones.
 http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/Antarctic/Ant-Sah.html
 
   We are collaborating with the Planetary Studies Foundation, a non-profit
 educational corporation. The primary purpose of the PSF is to disseminate
 educational materials in the areas of astronomy, meteorites, planetary
 science and space exploration. Focus areas are meteorites and Mars. It is
 also the James M. DuPont Meteorite Collection which is a world class
 collection and the Adopt-A-Meteorite program.
 http://www.planets.org/
 
 
   We want to declaim against the plundering of Saharan strewnfields in North
 West African countries. It is really an annoying affair all these meteorites
 from North West Africa which swamp the market and provide, instead of a
 scientific knowledge masses of questions :
     - A nomad or a dealer - Who ?
     - Possible origin - Where exactly ?
     - Is it a paired find ?
  They are sold in Morocco, stolen in Algeria a country in civil war,
 Mauritania, Libya strewnfields... without data and will not be classified for
 the major part of them.
   
   We agree with you Mr. Farmer, excepting M. Franco and his wife (who have
 written a very informative book on their prospecting trips), French people
 are lying to the Meteoritical Community, majority if not all Moroccan
 meteorites are not found in situ, they are available in Moroccan backshops.
 We are French but we have never supported French practices. We were the first
 to act against Tagounite strewnfield one year ago, we continue to claim that
 most of the exotic names along Moroccan border are false locations.
 http://www.saharamet.com/expedition/WesternS/Tagounit.html
 
 
   You quote the Tagish Lake recovery and its poor result, few material
 available for science when you know that the initial mass was 200 tons. But
 isn't it a similar problem with NWA achondrites with only 28 gr. of Mars rock.
   The first step of the strewnfield work is to gather as much as possible
 information from the field, especially if it is a white plateau like Dar al
 Gani or a white Canadian lake where accurate data can be easily collected.
 Many results will be deducted which will help to lead the searches.
   It's true Mr. Bessey that dispatching randomly a lot of people on Tagish
 Lake before all the fragments fall in the water during the spring would have
 brought at less twice more material than scientific method. But it's a stupid
 approach. In our point of view the real interest of that meticulous fieldwork
 was to deduct a precise trajectory for the fall and to start a hard trip,
 perhaps 40 kilometers or more in deep forest to recover the main fragments. A
 final step that the Canadien scientists have neglected. Our fieldwork
 following the Libyan carbonaceous ellipse of fall going through difficult
 areas is an example. Now the DaG CO3 is the third largest carbonaceous
 discovery and not only 25 kg which would be the best result with a NWA
 approach and random collecting.
 http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/map/ellipse.html
 http://www.saharamet.com/desert/meteorite/prospect.html
 
 
   Regarding NWA meteorites, the start point for future searches is erased,
 strewnfields are erased. Just try to find a meteorite looking aimlessly in
 the great Sahara desert and tell us your results. As long as people who have
 never cross a Saharan strewnfield will talk about how to conduct a recovery
 trip or collect Saharan meteorites it will only lead to confuse people.
 
   Today we have a chance : working with GPS coordinates and accurate maps of
 the strewnfields to be able to continue new discoveries for many years. A
 good work can be done, everybody sharing knowledge instead of saying
 slanderous things, and everybody taking time to well preserve our world
 patrimony. Why not an American team joining us in the great landscapes of the
 Sahara with a prospecting goal, it could be a real project.
   At the moment few competent team working in desert (Oman, Libya, ...) find
 the same quantity of meteorites and rareties than the whole nomad population.
 In our case, we spend only one month a year on the field. Imagine what could
 be done by only 50 competent persons working 3 months a year in Sahara during
 10 years.
 
  We will be in Rome for the Meeting of the Meteoritical Society this summer
 to discuss all those points.
 
  SaharaMet,
 Richard & Roland Pelisson</HTML>

--part1_20.16611926.28315be6_boundary--
Received on Mon 14 May 2001 12:03:50 PM PDT

This message: [ Message body ]
Next message: Darryl S. Futrell: "[meteorite-list] backwards evolution1"
Previous message: Ron Baalke: "[meteorite-list] New Mexico Scientist Makes Impact"

Mail actions: [ respond to this message ] [ mail a new topic ]
Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by thread ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]

StumbleUpon

del.icio.us

Yahoo MyWeb