[meteorite-list] Search for first U.S. lunar meteorite, Sajkowitz

From: Jason Utas <meteoritekid_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:25:53 -0700
Message-ID: <AANLkTi=RdG_HTBaJOwy0UuUWdxtXgQgqQPn2T+CE_MPx_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hello Rob, All,
Well, I'm flattered by the mention, but I think you're selling
yourself short here. It certainly took a great deal of
skill/wherewithal to recognize the Lucerne Valley CK4, which I
probably wouldn't have bothered to get analyzed -- even if I had, for
some unlikely reason, picked it up and taken it home as a 'strange
rock.'

Superior Valley 014 actually looked rather chondritic from afar:

http://tin.er.usgs.gov/meteor/get_original_photo.php?recno=5633196

But, to address the point - there is a goodly number of hunters here
in the US who are definitely capable of finding even a weathered
lunar. Give it some time. I'm sure that one will turn up on a
lakebed sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Oddly enough, we did find a nearly non-magnetic stone (admittedly
still a chondrite) on our last trip:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=201379&id=508345918&l=376351b876

It's pictured in the first three photos and again in the last shot,
through a microscope. I'm still not really sure why I gave it a
closer look, but I suppose it must have appeared somehow different
from even 4-5 feet away.

Magnetic canes are indispensable tools for meteorite-hunting, but when
using one, it's necessary to keep an open mind. Strangely enough, the
majority of the 'rare' meteorites that I can think of that have yet
been found in the American Southwest have generally been magnetic;
Rob's EL and CK, my acapulcoite and the other achondrite, and
Ruben's...mesosiderite(?).

Sonny and Nick Gessler, on the other hand, have found some interesting
(and non-magnetic(!)) stones, including the Bluewing eucrite, an
R-chondrite, and a CM1.

And I'm sure there's more that I simply haven't heard of yet. I'd be
curious to meet this Sajkowitz person. They're apparently the most
successful hunter in the southwest in terms of finding new and rare
meteorites (and huge, to boot!).

To put things in perspective: in terms of "rare" meteorites, Skip
Wilson has found a single ~20 gram Ureilite, out of the hundred+
meteorites that he's found.

This single fellow (BIll Sajkowitz) has found more achondrites than
all of the other hunters in the southwest, combined. In fact, no one
else has found one over 30 grams. This guy has found two (2.1kg and
700 grams), as well as the largest single carbonaceous find by any
meteorite hunter in the southwest in recent years (2.86kg).

I suppose Bob Verish's martian compares in some respects, but...look
at the ratio. Scores of common chondritic finds, and one or two
"rare" meteorites. One large-ish one.

It's not that Sajkowitz is more successful. He's simply a more
successful hunter than Sonny Clary, Rob Matson, Skip Wilson, Ruben
Garcia, etc, etc. All of us hunters in the Southwest combined.

And he's either yet to find an ordinary chondrite...or he's yet to
submit the hundreds he must have found.

...And no one has ever heard of him (?).

Doesn't seem too likely, does it? Granted, I'm willing to accept the
fact that he has *happened* to have won the lottery three times
running.

But if I were running the lottery, I'd be looking into things right
about now. With an open mind, of course.

Regards,
Jason


On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 1:58 PM, Matson, Robert D.
<ROBERT.D.MATSON at saic.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> When the first U.S. lunar is found, my bet is that the finder will
> be either Sonny Clary or Jason Utas. Both have demonstrated the
> ability to find non-ordinary-chondrite meteorites -- for instance,
> Blue Eagle (R3-6) and Moapa Valley (CM1) by Sonny, and Superior
> Valley 014 (acapulcoite) by Jason.
>
> Another name I've seen come up lately with non-OCs is Bill
> Sajkowicz: ?Chocolate Mountains (ureilite), Cargo Muchacho
> Mountains (CO3), and Winterhaven (howardite). I find it remarkable
> that one person has found a ureilite, a howardite and a CO3, and
> yet I haven't found a record of any chondritic finds by him. This
> is statistically next to impossible -- Bill must have found a LOT
> of chondrites to have found these three.
>
> --Rob
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Thunder Stone
> Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 1:35 PM
> To: mike; eric at meteoritesusa.com
> Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] How Many Lunar Meteorites?
>
>
> Feldsparic breccias are very common throughout the SW deserts and (I believe) in many other areas, and these look very similar to luners.? I think it's going to have to have a fusion crust.? If its sandblasted or very weathered, it may never be found.
>
> Greg S.
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Received on Thu 26 Aug 2010 04:25:53 AM PDT