[meteorite-list] AD: METEORITE CLASSIFICATION SERVICE

From: stan . <laser_maniac_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Jul 14 05:37:58 2006
Message-ID: <BAY101-F1910E555B4EA58AD1B1667F06F0_at_phx.gbl>

>The samples would be available
>for the future experiments that anyone might conceive - rather than sitting
>lost in some dusty drawer...or in a membrane box, decaying away on
>someone's
>desk.

Quite the contrary to this notion I feel that private collectors CAN and DO
serve to protect the science that lies trapped in meteorites. I cant speak
for all collectors (although i know othes who do this) but just this week I
recived a request from a lab in europe for samples of material in my
collection and I'll probably get around to sending them out after the
weekend. I even offered to look for specific material they want that I dont
have but may be able to aquire. My problem with this whole issue is reading
articles like this:

"Save the space rocks! The meteorites are vanishing and if something isn't
done soon, most of Earth's rare space rocks could be gone in a lifetime or
so says the University of Arizona's Southwest Meteorite Center, a newly
founded organization created to combat what a UA scientist and a private
meteorite collector identify as part of the problem: collectors. Samples
that have fallen over millions of years are being found and collected over
just a few decades. Dealers are buying meteorites at prices the scientific
community cannot match and cutting them into small pieces for sale to
bidders in a flooded market. In an attempt to save the space stones from
becoming slivers, the SWMC will offer collectors, dealers and enthusiasts a
fair price to obtain part of the vanishing meteorite legacy."
http://uanews.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/UANews.woa/24/wa/SRStoryDetails?ArticleID=12216

That sounds pretty darn anti-private collection and pretty darn pro-'soak up
whatever we can' to me.

essentially all unusual meteorites get classified. that means type specimins
of all the 'good stuff' are being curated already, protecting the scientific
legacy. the only thing 'new' about the SWMC is an organization trying to
raise major funds to aquire major chunks of what is avalible to the public -
above and beyond the simple curation of type specimins.
Received on Fri 14 Jul 2006 05:37:50 AM PDT