[meteorite-list] Collector ethics... was What is this?

From: Mr EMan <mstreman53_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 17:12:32 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <375934.18956.qm_at_web55204.mail.re4.yahoo.com>

I'm with Ken on this matter. I, frankly, am dumbfounded to see this material held out as meteorites, as I believe a member of an collectors association should be held to a higher standard and should police themselves more strictly than they police others.

It is a breach of good taste if not a full fledged breach of ethics to co-mingle these specimens that in the slightest way leaves the door open for an inference that these are meteorites! Showing a "pink" swap implying a positive nickel test is dishonest, and at a minimum shows ignorance about the occurrence of false positive results in the presence of iron-- DUH. We've been down this path before by other members setting up web pages lumping together meteor-wrongs with meteorites in some magical belief that doing so will make the wrongs transform into real meteorites.

Clearly the ability to set up a nice web page doesn't translate to the ability to identify meteorites not a license to do so haphazardly. Not speaking for the other than myself, as membership qualification is the purview of any trade organization, but membership in such organization implies to me something above the novice level about meteorites. Seems some can buy the logo and leave ethics at the door since membership infers a status of expertise quick ride to the top. I think the logo displayee owes the entire community of meteorite collectors a duty to be totally honest as shabby or shady implications reflects on the individual and it harms any student of meteorites buy presenting blatantly bogus specimens.

Self-naming of suspected meteorites when the naming of meteorites is a well established known process is indefensible and a disservice to the public.

Makes about as much sense to me as it would be to hold out myself as a brain surgeon because I've see some brain photos, grew up watching M.A.S.H. and dissected some frog brains in biology.

I further agree that we all should really do a reasonable amount of foundation study before shooting baloney theories about rocks and minerals in general and the source of magnetism in naturally magnetic hematite nodules.

Elton

> <http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=244>
> camp acapulcoite
> camp diogenite
> camp howardite
> camp pallasite
> camp122006
> Limedale
> Mammoth Springs
Received on Tue 04 Aug 2009 08:12:32 PM PDT