[meteorite-list] Re: Moss meteorite

From: Bjorn Sorheim <astrogeo_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Aug 12 12:06:01 2006
Message-ID: <6.2.1.2.2.20060812153418.04c8eb70_at_pop.online.no>

Hello Robert,
Sorry for not answering yor email around the times I went to Moss.
I had no Internet acess there, and it was extremely hot and hectic
there too... :-)

You are right about the stone we first heard about on the 23rd
of July. Believe it or not that's my birthday! So it was a tremendous
day for me...!
This stone, (found prior to Morten/Farmer/Wards stone) was picked up by
the original finder in the middle of the week before this. Wedensday the
19th I think, but it was originally spotted one or two days before.

Some of what happened on that day:
On Sunday the 23rd I was searching around on my own, along the center
line as it seemed to appear at the time using the two first finds.

I parked my car where the 'centerline' met with the lake area about
1 km NW of the 752g Johansen stone. I zigzagged from this spot following
the roads in the dwelling area NW of the 752 stone. I talked to several
of Johansens neighbours, one living just 3 houses away knew nothing about
any meteorite at all. His son of about 12 said when he heard about it:' What -
a meteorite here!!!!!'.
One of his other neighbours new about the Martinsen
find but not of his neighbours much bigger fall! He had just arrived from
the holiday when I met him. I told them to carefully search their gardens,
and I did fully tell them what was the real value of a stone like this. Not all
seemed to believe what I was telling them...
When I had passed Johansen house and went through a narrow bush area
I met up with the water on the SE side. I went back again in a large circle
around
the Johansen neighbourhood following the roads. I saw nothing of interest,
just some glassy factory slag that certainly would catch the locals attention
as a possible meteorite. I went down to the water in the SE for the second
time. I was a bit tired of this now.

Michael Mazur on this day had been searching in the area around Martinsens
cabin where he chanced upon Gren and Ralew from Germany and Marcins polish
team. They had found nothing either. Then he suddenly called me, he was now
just north of Johansens house, by the playing ground. So I went up to him,
a bit
desolated, and he told me had to go back home for his job the next day.
Mazur as the smart guy he is, had succeded in getting an article in the Moss
newspaper with the title 'Meteorite-hunter on the spot' ( he asked me to join
him on this, but I was to tired or to accustomed to use such a way for hunting
meteorites, so I turned down his offer - stupid of me).
Anyway, as I met Mazur with his car and he told me he had to leave for home
quite soon now, I said:'Well, at least you should a get a real interesting
local
stone with you as a memory [as long as you didn't find a meteorite]!' So,
off I went
into the thickest bush, where I half an hour before had spotted a good example
of a rhombic-porfyric (norw:'rombeporfyr') volcanic rock so typical of the
permian
volcanism around the Oslofjord area.

When I came back to his car with his souvenir, IT had happened!
He had just then gotten a phone call because of the article in the
newspaper that day.
He was talking to them. He said to me, 'This sounds interesting, we should
check
this out!' I placed his souvenir on the floor of the car quickly....
And, off we went.
We met the excited finders. A fairly flat stone wrapped in aluminum foil
was shown
to us. We had our doubts at this point.
Off the cover went. 'Is this a .....?'

Well, a split-second later it was clear to both of us!!
A fairly large stone with 2/3 of black crust, some spots non crusted and
with a middle-dark gray interior, was there right before our eyes.
It certainly was a beautiful example of the 'Moss'-fall, just the type
the whole bunch of meteorite-searchers hab been looking for most of
the week.

We were so lucky to later find more pieces that day where we learned the rock
had originally been found..
What a birthday celebration for a meteorite-hunter...!

So the list should be like this, I have ammended some information:

1. 35 gr - The first at Martinsens cabin, found friday
               14. july 1025 (as the fall time)
2. 750 gr - Johansens house, monday 17. july.
3. 1-2 kg in all - 19th/23rd July. NW of Johansen stone
4. 800 gr - Who M. Bilet found together with Mike Farmer
                sunday 30 july. No location information.
5. 676 gr - Found on a company`s roof friday 4 august.

When I came back to the hotel that evening with my equipment and alone,
I spotted some guys at a table which I had not met in real life before...
One of them loking my way, I certainly thought it must be the one and
only Mike Farmer!
One guy with long curly hair, seemingly having a good time, had
his back towards me. It had to be Robert Haag.
The meteorite world had come to Norway...
A memorable birthday.

Bj?rn S?rheim,
in Norway



> Hello Morton and List,
>
> This may be just a minor point but for purposes of
> clarification, I would like to suggest that your list
> of found stones be renumbered. It has already become
> a matter of public record that the 3rd stone was found
> prior to 23 July. See Mike Mazur's post:
>
> <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/2006-August/186072.html>
>
> You and I have talked at length about this "3rd stone"
> before you made your find of the 4th stone, and there
> are already a number of email messages that have made
> reference to the "23July find" being the 3rd stone.
> Maintaining the chronology that you intended in your
> listing of the Moss meteorite finds will minimize
> confusion "down the road".
>
> Thanks for giving this some consideration, and
> congratulations for being the first meteorite hunter
> to find a whole stone of the Moss meteorite!
> Bob V.
>
>
> ----------------- Original Message ------------------
> [meteorite-list] Moss meteorite
> Morten Bilet barb-o at online.no
> Thu Aug 10 03:43:05 EDT 2006
>
> Hi meteorite mailinglist.
>
> I`m one of the finder of the Moss-meteorite (I found
> together with Mike F) It will come a full report with
> all details later from Knut J?rgen R?ed ?degaard and
> me about this fall. But can here summarize little. So
> far its been found five stones at total weight at
> aprox 3,1 kg.
>
> 1. 35 gr - The first at Martinsens cabin, found friday
> 14. july 1025 (as the fall time)
> 2. 750 gr - Johansens house, monday 17. july.
> 3. 800 gr - Who I together with Mike Farmer found
> sunday 30 july.
> 4. 6-800gr - [23July] Its minimal information about
> this stone. Michael Mazur or Bj?rn S?rheim have some
> info.
> 5. 676 gr - Found on a company`s roof friday 4 august.
>
> I have seen all the stones in my hand exept nr. 4 only
> at pictures. Nr. 2 and 5 are whole pieces (very
> minimal damage) They are also paired. Nr. 3 are in
> many pieces. Nr. 4 are at least in two pieces (maybe
> more) and the smallest nr. 1 has lost some few smaller
> pieces.
> Over a kilo is available at the marked so far, but not
> nr. 1, 2 and 5.
>
> Havent time for more details now, are in the
> strewnfield every day (I live only 20 minutes from the
> strewnfield) Full report later.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Morten Bilet
>
>
> ______________________________________________
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
Received on Sat 12 Aug 2006 12:00:44 PM PDT