[meteorite-list] Steve Arnold Discovers Brenham Main Mass
From: Roman Jirasek <rom_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Nov 11 08:19:13 2005 Message-ID: <035f01c5e6c2$f1606f00$b47ba8c0_at_meteoritelabels.com> Hi Steve, Geoff & List Congratulations Steve! It was definitely worth the effort. When you guys catch your breath let me know what you want to see as the TKW on my next batch of Brenham labels. I'm hoping to have them ready before the new year. Cheers, Roman Jirasek www.meteoritelabels.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Notkin" <geoking_at_notkin.net> To: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com> Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 12:40 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Steve Arnold Discovers Brenham Main Mass Dear Friends and Listees: Steve is in the field and has asked me to post the following press release on his behalf. Steve did not quote any prices to the media, so the $12 million figure is just one of those colorful media exaggerations. However, the pallasite is extraordinary and is definitely oriented (something you cannot really see in these photos) -- it's one big nose cone. Additional photos will be forthcoming. The find, at 1,400 pounds, beats the next largest Brenham found by Stockwell in 1949 (1,000 lbs) and therefore becomes the main mass. I'm sure you'll all want to join me in congratulating our friend Steve on this find of a lifetime. I know you all want to see the photos, taken by Steve's partner Phil Mani, so here they are: http://www.aerolite.org/brenham.htm Well done Steve!! Geoff *********************** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 9, 2005 WORLD RECORD METEORITE UNEARTHED BY HUNTER IN KANSAS A 1,400-pound stony-iron pallasite meteorite found in Kiowa County is the largest of its type ever recovered in the United States, and the third largest in history Steve Arnold, 39, a professional meteorite hunter from Arkansas has found and excavated a meteorite weighing almost three quarters of a ton from a farmer?s field near Haviland, Kansas. The discovery was made in late October using sophisticated metal detecting equipment. It is one of the most valuable meteorite finds ever made in the United States and is of historic and scientific importance. Meteorites ? rocks that have fallen to Earth from outer space ? are of considerable value to both scientists and private collectors. Meteorite collecting is a growing hobby, with thousands of enthusiasts worldwide willing to pay high prices for these rare sky rocks. Brenham meteorites, named after the Kiowa Country township in Kansas, were first found in the area during the 1890s, when frontier farmers sold a number of them to universities and mineral dealers. Brenham specimens are today on display in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Field Museum in Chicago, and other prominent institutions. They are of a rare type, known as pallasites, which account for only 1% of all known meteorites. Pallasites consist of a nickel-iron matrix full of colorful olivine crystals (the semi-precious gemstone peridot) and are very beautiful when cut and polished. Well prepared pallasite specimens often sell for between twenty and forty dollars per gram. Mr. Arnold?s discovery is the largest pallasite ever found in America, and the largest oriented pallasite meteorite ever found anywhere in the world. An oriented meteorite is one which has traveled through Earth?s atmosphere without spinning and formed a conical or bullet shape as its surface melted. Oriented pallasites are extremely rare and highly prized by museums and private collectors. Steve Arnold was born in Kansas, and has been thinking about Brenham meteorites for more than a decade. ?I traveled all over the world hunting for meteorites, but came home to make my most important discovery. I was just sure there were more of them out there waiting to be found,? he said. Mr. Arnold and his partner Phil Mani ? a geologist and oil and gas attorney from San Antonio, Texas ? made arrangements with local landowners, which allowed them to search for the deeply-buried meteorites. The 1,400-pound specimen was recovered at considerable depth, and a back hoe was needed to lift it. Dr. Art Ehlmann, Curator of the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth visited the site last week, and described Mr. Arnold?s discovery as ?the most significant American meteorite find in decades.? ### Video footage of the meteorite excavation is available. ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list Received on Fri 11 Nov 2005 08:22:10 AM PST |
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