[meteorite-list] Thuathe report from the field.
From: J. <J._at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:30 2004 Message-ID: <037401c2dda4$08f627c0$4e8328d1_at_yourus67pi6luv> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_036F_01C2DD71.BAB06300 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mike, your word is good enough for me. Although I won't apologize for = bringing up questions. I never thought the meteorites were "salted". = Why would someone climb mountians over miles to do the salting? I was = just wondering about the fusion crust. Joel ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Mike Farmer=20 To: Meteorite Central=20 Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 6:44 AM Subject: [meteorite-list] Thuathe report from the field. Hello everyone. Eric and I are back in South Africa, safe and sound, exhausted, but happy.=20 I want to explain a little about this meteorite in response to Matteo and Joel Warren's emails.=20 First for Matteo. Yes, the photos of the material that you saw in the Hupe's photos looks a little bit weathered. I saw all of the material first hand in Tucson so I know exactly what it looks like. The meteorite fell in Lesotho, (get a map Matteo), many thousands of kilometers from North Africa, a little far for nomads to try and pull a scam I would think? Anyway, this is=20 a very mountainous region, and this year was apparently a record rainfall year. The area where the meteorite fell is partly on a high plateau, and partly in a valley. The strewnfield is almost 5 miles long by 2 miles wide. Several small villages and a satellite tracking station are in the middle of it. The area is full of small ponds and farmland, cabbage and cornfields. The stones are still being found, but it is high summer here, allot of rain and irrigation for the fields, so many stones are now weathered just as would be expected. The meteorite was seen and heard to fall by thousands of people all over the entire country of Lesotho and part of South Africa. The day was 80% clouded so it was only broken visibility of the fireball and smoke trail. Due to this, the university took almost 3 weeks to find the actual strewnfield. This happened when the local police report came out, once per month. In it there was=20 report that some villagers reported to the police that someone had thrown stones from the sky at them. The police of course had no idea whom to charge, so they just reported it.=20 When the scientists at the university saw that, they immediately went to the villages and began recovering the meteorites and mapping the strewnfield. This was late August, almost one month after the fall.=20 These small villages are tiny, only a few houses, the people there have no time to waste on stones, so they soon forgot about the event until the university people came to collect and buy the stones. Then of course, everyone was out finding as many as they could.=20 Eric and I spent an entire day at the university discussing the fall with them, pouring over maps and papers, and viewing the collection log of stones recovered. They have listed 490 stones, completely catalogued as to where recovered, by whom, size, dimensions etc. Extremely thorough data collection. We have logged in the stones we recovered and submitted that data to the university in order to keep the data as complete as possible. We also got some of the meteorites that the university collected along with all data about them.=20 This fall will be one of the best with complete strewnfield mapping, logs for many stones, and written reports. So Matteo and Joel, I would NOT consider these people to be uneducated third world idiots.=20 By the way, the meteorite is pronounced (too-wa-tea), and Lesotho is pronounced (less-ooo-too). Eric and I have many stones, almost all are absolutely gorgeous. Black and no weathering. Many have been held back by the people, because unfortunately, the local people buying before us were paying 10 rand and 20 rand for the larger stones. This is about $1.25 for stones of several hundred grams! When we arrived, we found helpful locals and they told us to pay well or we would see no stones. When we offered the money, people gasped at the amount we offered, it was many months wages per stone, some enough to build entire houses. So by paying well, we got stones that had been held back by the people for months. Almost nothing Eric and I have shows much weathering at all.=20 There are almost no large stones in this fall over 500 grams. Most are in the 20 to 50 gram range. Very few oriented stones, but a couple.=20 The area has been well hunted, not many stones left to find out there. I have calculated along with the scientists and found that the approximate recovered weight is now about 33 to 36 kilograms. Undoubtedly a few more kilos is on the very rough terrain to be found, but not much more than a few kilos.=20 This meteorite is Lesotho's first meteorite, and a witnessed fall, so it is a great day for that small beautiful country and for meteorite collectors.=20 The name Thuathe should be accepted, as it is the major landmark for the strewnfield (the plateau) and the villages are tiny.=20 Count your pennies and get ready to see some beautiful stones when we get home this weekend.=20 There isn't that much to go around, so this fall will disappear rapidly from the market.=20 I will of course, be reporting more about our adventure later and have taken many photographs.=20 Michael Farmer Eric Olson,=20 Meteorite Hunters ------=_NextPart_000_036F_01C2DD71.BAB06300 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Mike, your word is good enough for = me. =20 Although I won't apologize for bringing up questions. I never = thought the=20 meteorites were "salted". Why would someone climb mountians = over=20 miles to do the salting? I was just wondering about the fusion=20 crust.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Joel</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Dfarmerm_at_concentric.net = href=3D"mailto:farmerm_at_concentric.net">Mike=20 Farmer</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20 title=3Dmeteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 href=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">Meteorite = Central</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, February 26, = 2003 6:44=20 AM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [meteorite-list] = Thuathe report=20 from the field.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Hello everyone. Eric and I are back in South Africa,<BR>safe and = sound,=20 exhausted, but happy. <BR>I want to explain a little about this = meteorite=20 in<BR>response to Matteo and Joel Warren's emails. <BR>First for = Matteo. Yes,=20 the photos of the material that<BR>you saw in the Hupe's = photos looks a=20 little bit weathered. I saw<BR>all of the material first hand in = Tucson=20 so I know<BR>exactly what it looks like. The meteorite fell = in<BR>Lesotho,=20 (get a map Matteo), many thousands of<BR>kilometers from North Africa, = a=20 little far for nomads<BR>to try and pull a scam I would think? Anyway, = this is=20 <BR>a very mountainous region, and this year was<BR>apparently a = record=20 rainfall year. The area where the<BR>meteorite fell is partly on a = high=20 plateau, and partly<BR>in a valley. The strewnfield is almost 5 miles = long=20 by<BR>2 miles wide. Several small villages and a satellite<BR>tracking = station=20 are in the middle of it. The area is<BR>full of small ponds and = farmland,=20 cabbage and<BR>cornfields. The stones are still being found, but = it<BR>is high=20 summer here, allot of rain and irrigation for<BR>the fields, so many = stones=20 are now weathered just as<BR>would be expected. The meteorite = was seen=20 and heard<BR>to fall by thousands of people all over the = entire<BR>country of=20 Lesotho and part of South Africa. The day<BR>was 80% clouded so it was = only=20 broken visibility of<BR>the fireball and smoke trail. Due to this,=20 the<BR>university took almost 3 weeks to find the = actual<BR>strewnfield. This=20 happened when the local police<BR>report came out, once per month. In = it there=20 was <BR>report that some villagers reported to the police = that<BR>someone had=20 thrown stones from the sky at them. The<BR>police of course had no = idea whom=20 to charge, so they<BR>just reported it. <BR>When the scientists at the = university saw that, they<BR>immediately went to the villages and = began=20 recovering<BR>the meteorites and mapping the strewnfield. This = was<BR>late=20 August, almost one month after the fall. <BR>These small villages are = tiny,=20 only a few houses, the<BR>people there have no time to waste on = stones, so=20 they<BR>soon forgot about the event until the university<BR>people = came to=20 collect and buy the stones. Then of<BR>course, everyone was out = finding as=20 many as they<BR>could. <BR>Eric and I spent an entire day at the=20 university<BR>discussing the fall with them, pouring over maps = and<BR>papers,=20 and viewing the collection log of stones<BR>recovered. They have = listed 490=20 stones, completely<BR>catalogued as to where recovered, by whom,=20 size,<BR>dimensions etc. Extremely thorough data collection.<BR>We = have logged=20 in the stones we recovered and<BR>submitted that data to the = university in=20 order to keep<BR>the data as complete as possible. We also got some = of<BR>the=20 meteorites that the university collected along<BR>with all data about = them.=20 <BR>This fall will be one of the best with complete<BR>strewnfield = mapping,=20 logs for many stones, and written<BR>reports. So Matteo and Joel, I = would=20 NOT consider these<BR>people to be uneducated third world idiots. = <BR>By=20 the way, the meteorite is pronounced (too-wa-tea),<BR>and Lesotho is=20 pronounced (less-ooo-too).<BR> Eric and I have = many=20 stones, almost all are<BR>absolutely gorgeous. Black and no = weathering.=20 Many<BR>have been held back by the people, because<BR>unfortunately, = the=20 local people buying before us were paying<BR>10 rand and 20 rand = for the=20 larger stones. This is<BR>about $1.25 for stones of several hundred = grams!=20 When<BR>we arrived, we found helpful locals and they told us<BR>to pay = well or=20 we would see no stones. When we offered<BR>the money, people gasped at = the=20 amount we offered, it<BR>was many months wages per stone, some enough = to=20 build<BR>entire houses. So by paying well, we got stones that<BR>had = been held=20 back by the people for months. Almost<BR>nothing Eric and I have shows = much=20 weathering at all. <BR>There are almost no large stones in this fall = over=20 500<BR>grams. Most are in the 20 to 50 gram range. Very = few<BR>oriented=20 stones, but a couple. <BR>The area has been well hunted, not many = stones left=20 to<BR>find out there. I have calculated along with the<BR>scientists = and found=20 that the approximate recovered<BR>weight is now about 33 to 36 = kilograms.=20 Undoubtedly a<BR>few more kilos is on the very rough terrain to = be<BR>found,=20 but not much more than a few kilos. <BR>This meteorite is Lesotho's = first=20 meteorite, and a<BR>witnessed fall, so it is a great day for that=20 small<BR>beautiful country and for meteorite collectors. <BR>The name = Thuathe=20 should be accepted, as it is the<BR>major landmark for the strewnfield = (the=20 plateau) and<BR>the villages are tiny. <BR>Count your pennies and get = ready to=20 see some beautiful<BR>stones when we get home this weekend. <BR>There = isn't=20 that much to go around, so this fall will<BR>disappear rapidly from = the=20 market. <BR>I will of course, be reporting more about our<BR>adventure = later=20 and have taken many photographs. <BR><BR>Michael Farmer<BR>Eric Olson, = <BR>Meteorite Hunters<BR></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_036F_01C2DD71.BAB06300-- Received on Wed 26 Feb 2003 09:33:25 AM PST |
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