[meteorite-list] Main mass pics of Emsland, Erxleben and Bremervoerde

From: Michael Gilmer <michael_w_gilmer_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 19:21:37 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <151305.11530.qm_at_web58407.mail.re3.yahoo.com>

Hi Martin,

Thank you for sharing this depressing account. It pains me to hear
of meteorites being neglected, but I was unaware this institutional
neglect was so widespread. I recall hearing recently about one
of the main masses of Cape York sitting outside in the open without
any protection from the elements in Denmark. (I think that is
what I heard, if I am wrong, someone please correct me)

As a collector who treats his specimens reverence, it makes me
feel good about what I am doing when I hear about supposedly-respected
institutions and universities who are either neglecting their
meteorites (at best) or abusing them at worst. I know many of
these institutions still frown on private collectors because
we represent competition for specimens and they accuse us of
hurting science by hoarding meteorites. I disagree with that
notion, as you said before, because much new science has come
out of the hot desert finds - many of which were brought to light
by private dealers and hunters for profit. I think that properly-
educated collectors, acting in tandem with competent institutions,
can advance the science of meteoritics. Just think of all of the
rare types sitting unclassified in collection cabinets across
the world! Rather than hindering each other, collector and
scientist should work together towards a common goal - learning
more about our universe and appreciating one of nature's finest
works of art.

For the cash-strapped museums and universities I say :

If any museum or university has a big meteorite that is too
expensive to properly maintain, please send it to me and I will
ensure that it gets proper care and conservation. Better yet,
just email me and I will arrange shipment at my expense to
deliver the specimen to me. ;)

FWIW, I think what Martin and Stefan are doing is a perfect example
of how the private collector/dealer can contribute overall to
the field of meteoritics. Just look at how many interesting
planetary meteorites the Heirs have had classified. Well done. :)

Best regards and clear skies,

MikeG




.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
..........................................................




> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 16:43:40 +0100
> From: "Martin Altmann"
> <altmann at meteorite-martin.de>
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Main mass pics of
> Emsland, Erxleben and
> Bremervoerde
> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Message-ID:
> <005c01c9893a$da5ce7c0$177f2a59 at name86d88d87e2>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hello,
>
> because pictures of the main masses of these three historic
> meteorites are
> difficult to find,
> here they are, enjoy!
> http://kuerzer.de/erxemsbre
>
> Unfortunately in a sad context:
> the university of Goettingen, housing one of the oldest
> meteorite
> collections of the World, which can traced back to the year
> 1777,
> is forced to beg for money in public to get a few bucks
> from private
> persons,
> as they even can't afford to buy showcases for their
> specimens!
>
> That is Germany as research location!
> A shame.
>
> To see something like that, makes me so sad, that I really
> can't be silent
> anymore.
> So forgive...
>
> Cause not better at all is the situation of the famous
> collections in
> Berlin, Paris, Moscow, Vienna, Copenhagen - not to mention
> the Australian
> collections.
>
> Partially they haven't anymore the means to preserve
> their collections
> and their combined budgets for acquiring new meteorites
> rivals the budget of
> the not sooo worldwide known chamber-pot-museum in Munich.
> Unfortunately that is no polemics, but reality.
>
> These collections are only still growing and diversifying
> by - and the main
> material they do their research on is - the desert finds
> handed in by
> private parties and private donations of material.
>
> The group around H.Chennaoui, Schmitt, McCoy, C.Smith and
> J.Zipfel
> are at present agitating to inhibit the private traffic of
> the desert finds
> completely.
> These finds regarding the interesting rare and
> scientifically most
> significant types outnumber the Antarctic finds by the
> number of different
> finds and by their weights.
>
> Chennaoui and Smith spread wrong information, regarding the
> traffic of
> meteorites especially from Morocco, in telling, that the
> removal would be
> illicit, although on the Casablanca conference it was
> stated as a result,
> that there exist no laws in Morocco about ownership and
> export of meteorites
> at all.
> Smith continues to vilify in the media private collectors
> and commercial
> dealers, who meanwhile supply the main share of research
> material,
> as participants of a "black market" and in these
> press articles they are
> lumped together with drug and weapon dealers.
>
> (On the other hand her attitude doesn't seem to hold
> her off from buying
> from private collectors - I remember the main piece of
> Ivuna recently.
> Whether she serves the aims and purposes of the meteorite
> collection of BMNH
> or the objectives of the Paneth foundation with that
> conduct - I doubt).
>
> They spread the myth, that meteorites became unaffordable
> for science
> because of the private activities, although the opposite is
> correct
> and proven.
> - the meteorite prices of the recent 200 years are known
> and published,
> as well as the expenses for the acquisitions of meteoritic
> material the
> institutions had done throughout the centuries,
> as well as the costs and the find quotes of
> "official" scientific
> expeditions including those to Antarctica.
>
> If they achieve, that the traffic with meteorites,
> especially from the
> desert countries will be restricted and will be laid off
> solely to the
> universities,
> we will experience a similar and complete breakdown of the
> find numbers like
> it happened in Libya and in Australia.
>
> (Mrs Smith should know the situation there, on her
> expedition, she found two
> ordinary chondrites (the sum to be spent for such material
> on the market
> wouldn't have paid their plane tickets) - these two
> chondrites account
> already for 29% of all new Australian finds of the last 10
> years).
>
> Nobody will search for meteorites anymore.
>
> And in consequence all research institutes, which are not
> involved in the
> Antarctic programs will face more or less the cessation of
> their research
> work.
>
> Mrs.Zipfel knows well, that the main and almost sole
> problem in meteoritics
> is the drastic underfunding of the collections and
> institutes, especially if
> compared to the neighbouring scientific subjects.
>
> She very closely experienced the shut-down of the renowned
> meteoritic
> departments of the Max-Planck-Institutes in Heidelberg and
> Mainz.
> She was responsible for the transfer of the supposedly
> largest meteorite
> collection from these institutes to the Nat.Hist.Museum in
> Frankfurt, where
> a part of it should be on permanent exhibition. With the
> latter undertaking
> she failed.
>
> I kindly would ask these ladies and gentlemen not to ignore
> any longer the
> experiences already made in countries with restrictive
> laws, to read and to
> understand the basic statistics and to learn the historic
> facts.
> Afterwards they might be able to rethink their position,
>
> whether their agenda really does serve the needs of
> research and science
> and what for consequences it would mean for the work of
> their colleagues.
>
> And whether it couldn't be more conducive to care for
> the most urgent
> problem in modern meteoritics, the historically unseen
> underfunding of the
> institutes, museums and universities of these very years -
> especially in
> those countries, which can't afford to take part in the
> expensive Antarctic
> campaigns.
>
> Don't let the Dark Force prevail!
> Martin
>
>
>
>


      
Received on Sat 07 Feb 2009 10:21:37 PM PST