[meteorite-list] CV metachondrite pairings

From: David Weir <dgweir_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat May 20 12:22:30 2006
Message-ID: <446F4241.7000700_at_earthlink.net>

Adam Hupe wrote:

> By the way, It has been cleared with both Dr. Irving and Dr. Bunch for you
> to contact them in regards to previous statements you made that are in
> error.

Yesterday I had a conversation with Ted Bunch as you suggested, and he
will inform webmaster Wittke of the incorrect statement on the NAU
website that expresses a pairing of NWA 3133 with NWA 1839. From the
maintainence of my website, which contains almost a quarter of a million
words that change regularly according to ongoing research results, I can
empathize with his and Dr. Wittke's efforts to keep an up-to-date
website and also do his teaching, research, and publishing, not to
mention maintaining a family life. I am most grateful for their
excellent website.

http://www4.nau.edu/microanalysis/Microprobe/Probe.html

In a prior post I stated that I thought the probabilities would be
vanishingly small (although not zero) to find two unpaired, CV
metachondrites, with overlapping mineralogy and chemistry, at the same
proximity and time. Apparently I should buy a lottery ticket. These two
meteorites have taken convoluted classification paths, both originally
"listed" as L7 according to Ted, then NWA 3133 was determined to be a CV
metachondrite and was eventually classified as an ungrouped primitive
achondrite. I suspect it will eventually be reclassified as CV
metachondrite consistent with what is presented on the NAU website. NWA
1839 never made the official transition from L7 to ungrouped PAC, but it
too will probably eventually get a CV metachondrite label as it is
presently recognized on the NAU website.

Ted said that these two CV metachondrites have different O-isotope plots
along the CV mixing line and thus are not paired. I have updated my
website where necessary. So now the big pairing mystery seems to be
cleared up, and we have TWO new CV metachondrites to expand our
knowledge base. Nice!

Now I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my gratitude
and friendship to Aziz Habibi for gifting me almost a gram of
NWA011/2400 (that's 1000 x what I have!), which will now become the
official representative specimen of this probably extinct asteroid on my
website. Many thanks Aziz!

David
Received on Sat 20 May 2006 12:22:25 PM PDT