[meteorite-list] Ad Ebay meteorites

From: Martin Altmann <Altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Nov 4 06:58:46 2004
Message-ID: <002001c4c265$b87b72c0$27d4e4d9_at_9y6y40j>

Hi Adam, List,

I see a substantial problem with the approval of likely or possible paired
material:
With the desert rush we just don't have the lab capacities to make analyses
of each paired stone.

For instance here in Germany we have perhaps five or six places, where
classification can be done
and I can't imagine, that there they would be enthusiastic or even willing
to test samples of a meteorite, where the chance is high, that it's just
another piece of an already classified meteorite, and thus the efforts would
be of minor scientific value (what for papers they could publish? Classified
another piece of NWA1234...) and lately done for the commercial reason, that
the dealer could sell his specimen better.
At the moment it's almost impossible to get ordinary chondrites classified,
perhaps only W0 or W1 or some, which are promising to be unequilibrated or
you have to add a achondritic candy with the ordinary stuff.
Of course one could give the stuff to other places, but in general
meteorites have a status of exotics in most geological departments of the
universities, experiences are missing and the results may be doubtful (not
to mention, that it would be best to have a section of the meteorite, with
wich the probably paired material could be compared).
This year two people wrote me, that they have found stones, which were
proved to be meteoritical by two university labs - they were terrestial.
Sometimes they send me even copies with a list of the determinated elements,
where one could easily see, that it can't be a meteorite,
not to mention the case of the Neuschwanstein meteorite, where shortly after
the fall Prof. Weber-Diefenbacher from Munich University proudly presented
to the press a stone, which he wanted to have identified as a carbonaceaous
chondrite, but which was a piece of asphalt (known now as the "Meat Loaf of
Zolling").

So, Adam, could you please help us in providing a list of labs, which are
willing to classify most probably paired material
or may the collectors send you samples for classification of questionable
stones, which are said to be likely paired with your NWA numbers - that
would be the easiest way, as your classificator has already material for
comparing.

Thanks,
Martin
Received on Thu 04 Nov 2004 06:59:20 AM PST