[meteorite-list] Moss Meteorite - The uncut story...

From: Michael Mazur <mjmazur_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Aug 17 04:08:43 2006
Message-ID: <44E407C4.7070700_at_gmail.com>

Against my better judgement, I feel that I should report on my knowledge
of the laws in Norway. It is clear that meteorites found on property
belong to the land owner (although this has never been tested). The land
owner can, of course, give permission, in which case, the meteorites
belong to the finder according to whatever deal they've made. Good for
Mike and Morten. Meteorites on public property apparently belong to the
finder although the state may be able to make a case in certain
circumstances such as parks or 'crown' land. Again, this has never been
tested and is unlikely to come about. This material does not currently
fall under the category of cultural property however Elen Roaldset at
UiO would like to make it that way. It seems that different people were
given different stories by the same authorities.

As to 'whose piece was rained' on, I wouldn't let it affect your
decision to buy or not to buy from a particular dealer. All of this
material is beautifully fresh and I expect that most people will not
notice the differences in oxidation unless they're really critical. If
it's really crucial to the discussion one can (I don't have time or
really care to) check the archived weather data for Moss to see when it
did and didn't rain. In the end, find a piece that you like at the right
price and buy it from someone you feel comfortable with.

Will more material be found? Quite possibly. I can't believe that the
strewn field has been searched out at this point but I also wouldn't
expect huge additional quantities to be recovered and make it to market.
It is challenging to find anything there and most has been lost to water
hazards. Locals may find more in their backyards but there is a very
high chance that that material will go to an institution. Which, given
the way that this material seems to be affecting people, is not a bad
thing at all. The University of Oslo seems to be quite keen to learn
what they need to do with this material scientifically. While I might
not agree with their stance on new laws, I do admire the initiative that
they're starting to show with regards to learning about what should be
done with the material.

 I will also add that all of this discussion has made me decide to
donate more material to an institution. I just haven't decided which one
yet. I guess that's it for the new telescope ;-) . At least my wife will
be happy.

Have fun,

Mike
Received on Thu 17 Aug 2006 02:08:04 AM PDT