AW: [meteorite-list] Empty quarter expedition

From: Martin Altmann <altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Mar 12 11:22:51 2006
Message-ID: <001d01c645f1$311d8190$936cfea9_at_name86d88d87e2>

Hi Joseph, List,

I don't appreciate Professor Albert Matter's assertion about Oman:
"Collectors though, he said, had robbed the desert of its heritage simply
for money and not for scientific research."

Bad style.
The "collecors" always did an excellent fieldwork there, meticulously
recording and documenting all find data, different from the NWA-situation.
With the retrieved coordinates strewnfields could be mapped (also that,
where the Suisse team found their Mars later), innumerable samples of exotic
and common types were made accessible to labs, and that at no costs, all in
all an invaluable gain for research and science.
The private hunting teams did all this without any financial support and
with high financial risks.

Until 2 years ago, the Omanis demonstrated no increased concern in their
meteorites at all and issued export permits for the stones too. If
Prof.Matter took exception to other teams hunting there, he should have
earlier cared for the restrictions to become operative, which should have
been possible as the Suisse universities are working together with the Omani
for more than 30 years.
Though, if this would have been a service rendered to science and research,
I personally strongly doubt.
I haven't the data of the Suisse finds (anywhere a list available?),
but I read that all their expeditions from 2001-2003 resulted in a mere
number of only 200 different meteorites.
The parallely hunting private teams were ways more successful.

If I take a look on the score card for lunaites from Oman,
I find there the SaU 169 found by the Suisse expeditions with 206 grams,
while the depredators recovered 11 different Moons in Oman with a total
weight of 3956 grams, meaning that with the for the classification required
deposit material, they made available for research 3 or 4 times more lunar
material from much more different falls than the Suisse teams did
and this again at no costs.
The records for Martians: Suisse teams: 1 - 233g; Private teams: 3 - 12,084g
(I chose Mars&Moon as examples, because they were highlighted on the
websites in Switzerland, but I guess with other rare types the ratios will
be similar).

Unfortunately the publications database of the University of Bern is out of
order ( http://www.geo.unibe.ch/english/scientificworks.htm ),
but in past they had there no remorse to carry out research and analysis on
such "robbed" "heritage" like NWA-meteorites (e.g. NWA 031, NWA 773, NWA
176, DaG 262 or even stones from Oman found by commercial hunters like e.g.
Dhofar 081.)

Also in the collection of the Natural History Museum of Bern,
are found several specimens fitting to Prof.Matter's accusation,
as there are held samples of Acfers, NWAs, DaGs and from Oman SaU 005 and
Dho 378, all not found by the Suisse teams.

(Btw. Prof.Matters seems to have no concerns about commercialism, when he's
publishing in the GeoArabia journal, which is sponsored by such corporations
like BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total, Saudi Aramco.)

I can understand, that Prof.Matter is furious about the hunters, who
nowadays don't respect the newer legal situation in Oman, but this justifies
not to disavow and to criminalize the hunting teams, which were active
before, with such an undifferentiated statement in public.
He should rather demonstrate the respect, which is due to the other teams
with their enormous quantity and quality of finds, which they made
accessible for research.
I don't want to impute petty jealousies to him, that the other teams were
much more successful or that because of the long cooperation between Suisse
and Omani institutions he might tend to think that all finds should have
been researched by the university of Bern,
really not,
and I'm sure that if he looks a little bit back in the history of
meteoritics and also to other countries than Oman in present, then he will
recognise, that with exception of the Antarctic meteorites practically all
meteorites where brought to light and were delivered to science almost
solely by private individuals and initiatives.

I thought that this hollow and artificial conflict about private hunting vs.
institutional research was negotiated long ago,
and I really wonder that this issue is rehashed again.

But perhaps he was misquoted (I can't imagine, that a professional
meteoricist with his knowledge and insights would launch such a silly
statement)?
In this case my mail here would be of course unfonded and meaningless.

If I were in the place of Prof.Matter I gladly would invite professional
hunters, who demonstrated in past, that they are better trained and skilled
than the Suisse team members in finding and recognizing rare types in the
field, to join the Suisse expeditions. This would be the most promising
solution. The Suisse team's finding quota would raise remarkably, the found
meteorites would be completely reserved to research and as the hunters
should be remunerated by contracts, they wouldn't have to throw away their
finds below costs as it happens today, but could exclusively focus on
hunting.

(I have there already an experienced hunter in mind, who is a little bit
sad, that he can't hunt in Oman anymore, as he respects the legal situation
- perhaps I will receive an answer from Switzerland?).

Martin The Mouth Buckleboo!




-----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
Von: meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von
joseph_town_at_att.net
Gesendet: Sonntag, 12. M?rz 2006 04:42
An: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.comthe
Betreff: [meteorite-list] Empty quarter expedition

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Received on Sun 12 Mar 2006 11:22:42 AM PST