[meteorite-list] NWA's and Counting Localities

From: dean bessey <deanbessey_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:55:40 2004
Message-ID: <LAW2-F42a8d9Ee4zadT000176db_at_hotmail.com>

This is basically a personal preference and how you want to organize your
collection. Different people have different ideas on this topic. Each number
has its own mass and official recogonition. Many are obviously paired but
you still have an opportunity to own a main mass at a very low price.
Personally, I call them "desert main masses" but that term is not a
recogonized meteorite term.
Many people love the idea of getting meteorites so cheap and can put up with
incomplete scientific data for the 80% savings that they get and are happy
with getting five times the meteoritic material at the same cost as another
meteorite. Other people put more importance on the coordinates where they
fell than on the meteorite itself and wouldent touch them. Maybe they are
just so cheap that buying something at that price is beneath them. Whatever
turns a person on I guess.
But no matter what, collect what you like and how you like. Dont let
somebody tell you how you are supposed to collect or enjoy your meteorites.
You are collecting for you and not how somebody else thinks that the
meteorite world should work.
Each numbered NWA meteorite has an official (Or provisional if it is not
classified) name and is recogonized seperately. If you have 300 different
NWAs you have 300 seperately recogonized meteorites. Likely some will be
paired. If you want to take this as different stones do so. If you like the
idea of owning a main mass (even if it is Desert main mass) buy one. If you
want likely paired NWAs buy them. If you put more importance on some
imaginary line on a map drawn by man then dont. Its all a personal
preference. If you do like all of the NWAs you can rest easy knowing that
you are getting a tremendous price break for the small amount of left out
information when you buy your meteorites. And the stones themselves are not
somehow inferior just because the finder never had a GPS unit. The GPS unit
dont come with the meteorites. When it fell the meteorite never had a GPS
signal to follow.
And there certainly will not be enough government funding to provite
researcher time to get a better analysis of the NWA situation anytime soon
or to study every H5 in detail.
The important thing is that you buy what you enjoy (And finances permit) and
you enjoy them how you want.
There is no correct answer to your question. Its all a matter of personal
preference. When you show somebody your collection you will have it
displayed the way that you like best.
Cheers
DEAN
>

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Received on Sat 05 Jan 2002 03:46:12 PM PST