[meteorite-list] How do you know?

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:52:13 2004
Message-ID: <200208131726.KAA17835_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> I have been told that only one in one thousand rocks submitted to the
> experts at the universities and other meteorite identification labs, turns
> out to be an actual meteorite.

I've always thought the odds were more like one in a hundred. This applies
for rocks brought in from the general public.

>If this is true, how can the hundreds of
> uncut, unclassified rocks from northwest Africa be passed off as
> meteorites?

Excellent question.

The odds start to drop dramitically when the people involved are
meteorite experts, and are searching known strewnfields in areas
where the rocks tend to stick out better (ie: deserts or the
Antarctic).


Ron Baalke
Received on Tue 13 Aug 2002 01:26:45 PM PDT